VOL. XXXI No. 11 May 2020 Rs.

100/-

Prelims 2020
Case
Mock Test Series-6 Study
Mains 2020
Model Question & Answer Map
Study
Parliament Q & A Italy

Police Reforms: An Indispensable Need for India

COVID 19: A Biological Disaster
Should India Rethink Death Penalty?
Post COVID-19 : Can the World Forgive China?
Prospects of Online Education and SWAYAM in India
PM Garib Kalyan Relief Package
RBI Guidelines for Regulating Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways
Multiple Mega Food Parks and Integrated Cold Chain Projects Sanctioned under PMKSY
Revival of SAARC
NASA's Mars 2020 Mission
UN Report: Map and Monitor Peatland Degradation
Centre to Form National Interlinking of Rivers Authority
 May

VOL XXXI NO. 11

76
Police Reforms: An Indispensable Need for India
08

19

32

40

48

95

Policy Analysis 79
COVID 19: A Biological Disaster
PM Garib Kalyan Relief Package
RBI Guidelines for Regulating Payment
Issue Analysis
Aggregators and Payment Gateways Should India Rethink Death Penalty? 82
Multiple Mega Food Parks and Integrated Post COVID-19 : Can the World Forgive China? 84
Cold Chain Projects Sanctioned under
PMKSY Viewpoint 86
Revival of SAARC Prospects of Online Education and SWAYAM in India
NASA's Mars 2020 Mission

Parliament Q & A 92

Case Study 88
UN Report: Map and Monitor Peatland
Degradation
Centre to Form National Interlinking of
Rivers Authority

Map Study 89
57 Italy

65
Mock Test-6
CURRENT AFFARIS
PIB CORNER
Nationwide “AYUSH Grid” to Connect All Hospitals

INDIA WATCH
and Laboratories
• The Ministry of AYUSH has initiated steps to set up a na-
tionwide digital platform called “AYUSH GRID” which
aims to bring onboard all AYUSH facilities including hos-
pitals and laboratories and to promote traditional systems of
healthcare.
• Ministry of AYUSH has conceptualized AYUSH GRID Pro-
ject for digitalization of the entire AYUSH Sector.
• Currently, Ministry has launched Pilot Projects like AYUSH
Legislature Hospital Information Management System (A-HMIS), Tele-
• Parliament Approves Three Central Sanskrit Universities Medicine, Yogaloctaor Application, Bhuvan Application,
Yoga Portal, Case Registry Portal, etc. and these projects
Executive will be co-opted in AYUSH GRID Project in future.
• Govt Invokes Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to Fight Cor- • Ministry of AYUSH has also proposed to establish 12,500
onavirus AYUSH centres across the country for traditional system of
• Govt Declared Masks, Hand Sanitisers ‘Essential’ Com- healthcare and medicines by up gradation of existing State
modities Government AYUSH dispensaries and Sub Health Centres
by the year 2023-24.  Total financial allocation proposed for
• Government Approves Change of Land Use for Central
the scheme is Rs. 3399.35 crores over the time period of five
Vista Development
years.
• India Releases Draft Defence Procurement Procedure
2020 Pragyan Conclave 2020
• “PRAGYAN CONCLAVE 2020”, a two-day Indian Army
• UP Passes Ordinance to Recover Damages to Property
International Seminar being organised by Centre for Land
during Protests, Strikes
Warfare Studies (CLAWS), commenced on 04 Mar 2020 in
• ECI Unveils Roadmap for Revamp of Electoral Process New Delhi. The event brings together a cross-domain na-
Judiciary tional and international experts to deliberate on the complex
subject of ‘Changing Characteristics of Land Warfare and its
• Supreme Court Ruling Against Judicial Transparency Impact on the Military’.
• Madras High Court Sets Aside Restraints on Puducherry • The seminar provided a platform for deliberations on emerg-
Lt.Governor ing ideas, perspectives and narratives that define the ‘New
Social Issues Age Warfare’ which is increasingly witnessing a change in
its character as well as battlespace with the usage of new
• Cabinet Gives Stimulus to Domestic Manufacturing of ‘means’ to pursue the ‘ends’. 
Medical Devices
21st Edition of Hunar Haat in Ranchi
• Contact Tracing to Help Control Disease Outbreaks
• Recently, Union Minister for Minority Affairs inaugu-
• New POCSO Rules Make the Law Against Sexual Of- rated the ‘Hunar Haat’ at Harmu Ground, Harmu Chowk
fences More Stringent in Ranchi (Jharkhand). This “Hunar Haat” was organised
Art and Culture by Union Minority Affairs Ministry from 29th  February
to 08th March, 2020. This is for the first time that “Hunar
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh Voted the Greatest Leader in
Haat” was organised in Jharkhand. It was the 21st “Hunar
World History
Haat” of the Union Minority Affairs Ministry.
News Bytes • “Hunar Haat” is an effective mission which has been ensur-
ing that the common people become a part of mainstream
• SC Clears Permanent Commission for Women in Navy
economic development. It has been providing market and
• Army Launches Operation Namaste to Combat COV- opportunity to India’s indigenous legacy of handmade art/
ID-19 crafts. It has proved to be magnificent platform to under-
• Section 188 IPC Invoked for Violating COVID-19 Lock- stand India’s rich cultural heritage under one roof.  
down
IITFC Programme
• PM-CARES: An Emergency Relief Fund
• The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has launched
In Focus the Incredible India Tourist Facilitators (IITF) Certifica-
• PM Garib Kalyan Relief Package tion Programme, a Pan-India online learning program that
is open to all, subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria,
and can be undertaken from anywhere in the country. The
Programme aims at creating a pool of trained professionals
for facilitating the visit of tourists at destinations across the
country.

8 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020


Legislature
Parliament Approves Three Central
Sanskrit Universities
On 16th March, Parliament passed a bill to upgrade
three deemed Sanskrit universities into central universi-
ties. The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 was
passed by voice vote in Rajya Sabha. Earlier the bill was
passed by Lok Sabha.
Central Sanskrit Universities Bill 2019
• It seeks to upgrade three deemed to be universities in
Sanskrit -- Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Sri Lal Ba-
hadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, and
Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth Tirupati -- into central
universities.
• The Universities will:
(i) disseminate and advance knowledge for the promo-
tion of Sanskrit,
(ii) make special provisions for integrated courses in
humanities, social sciences, and science, and
(iii) t rain manpower for the overall development and
preservation of Sanskrit and allied subjects.  rowed from another speech community.
• Key powers and functions of the University include:
(i) prescribing courses of study and conducting train-
ing programmes,
(ii) granting degrees, diplomas, and certificates,
(iii) providing facilities through a distance education
system,
(iv) conferring autonomous status on a college or an
institution, and
(v) providing instructions for education in Sanskrit
and allied subjects.
• Each University will have the following authorities:
(i) a Court, which will review the policies of the Uni-
versity and suggest measures for its development,
(ii) an Executive Council, which will be the principal
executive body,
(iii) an Academic and Activity Council, which will su-
pervise academic policies,
(iv) a Board of Studies, which will approve the subjects
for research and recommend measures to improve
standards of teaching,
(v) a Finance Committee, which will examine propos-
als related to creation of posts and recommend lim-
its on the expenditure of the University, and
(vi) a Planning and Monitoring Board, which will be
responsible for the overall planning and develop-
ment of the University.  • The Act, which consists of four sections, aims to pro-
• The Executive Council may declare additional authori-
ties through the statutes.  ous Epidemic Diseases.”
• The President of India will be the Visitor of the Univer-
sity. He may appoint persons to review and inspect the
functioning of the University.  taining the outbreak. It reads:
INDIA WATCH
Issues with the Bill
Some Parliamentarians expressed the view that al-
though Sanskrit is a scientific language and part of our cul-
tural legacy, but government is neglecting other classical
languages like Tamil, Odia etc which are part of regional
milieu and are spoken by huge population.
Conclusion
• The bill is on the lines of government’s plan to strength-
en all Indian languages.
• It will help to preserve Sanskrit which at present is be-
ing studied by approximately 5 crore people in India.
Prelims Facts  
lll
Classical Languages of India
ŠŠ The criteria evolved by Government to determine
declaration of a language as a Classical language
is as under:
(i) High antiquity of its early texts/recorded his-
tory over a period of 1500-2000 years
(ii) A body of ancient literature/texts, which is con-
sidered a valuable heritage by generations of
speakers;
(iii) The literary tradition be original and not bor-
(iv) The classical language and literature being
distinct from modern, there may also be a dis-
continuity between the classical language and
its later forms or its offshoots.
ŠŠ There are six classical languages in India namely
Sanskrit, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and
Odia.
Executive
Govt Invokes Epidemic Diseases Act,
1897 to Fight Coronavirus
On March 11, it was decided in a Cabinet Secretary
meeting that states and Union Territories should invoke
provisions of Section 2 of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, so
that Health Ministry advisories are enforceable.
• The Epidemic Diseases Act is routinely enforced
across the country for dealing with outbreaks of dis-
eases such as swine flu, dengue, and cholera. Epidemic
Diseases Act, 1897
Provisions of the 1897 Epidemic Diseas-
es Act
vide “for the better prevention of the spread of Danger-
• Section 2 empowers state governments/UTs to take
special measures and formulate regulations for con-
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 9
CURRENT AFFARIS
• “Power to take special measures and prescribe regula-
tions as to dangerous epidemic disease.—
(1) When at any time the State Government is satisfied
that the State or any part thereof is visited by, or
threatened with, an outbreak of any dangerous epi-
demic disease, the State Government, if it thinks
that the ordinary provisions of the law for the time
being in force are insufficient for the purpose, may
take, or require or empower any person to take,
such measures and, by public notice, prescribe
such temporary regulations to be observed by the
public or by any person or class of persons as it
shall deem necessary to prevent the outbreak of
such disease or the spread thereof, and may deter-
mine in what manner and by whom any expenses
incurred (including compensation if any) shall be
defrayed.
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the general-
ity of the foregoing provisions, the State Govern-
ment may take measures and prescribe regulations
for— the inspection of persons travelling by rail-
way or otherwise, and the segregation, in hospital,
temporary accommodation or otherwise, of per-
sons suspected by the inspecting officer of being
infected with any such disease.”
• Section 3 provides penalties for disobeying any regula-
tion or order made under the Act. These are according
to section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (Disobedience
to order duly promulgated by public servant).
• Section 4 gives legal protection to the implementing
officers acting under the Act.
Prelims Facts   
lll
History of the 1897 Epidemic Diseases Act
ŠŠ The colonial government introduced the Act to
tackle the epidemic of bubonic plague that had
spread in the erstwhile Bombay Presidency in the
1890s.
ŠŠ Using powers conferred by the Act, colonies au-
thorities would search suspected plague cases in
homes and among passengers, with forcible seg-
regations, evacuations, and demolitions of infected
places.
ŠŠ Historians have criticised the Act for its potential for
abuse.
ŠŠ In 1897, freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak was
punished with 18 months’ rigorous imprisonment
after his newspapers Kesari and Mahratta admon-
ished imperial authorities for
Examples of implementation
• In 2018, the district collector of Gujarat’s Vadodara is-
sued a notification under the Act declaring the Khed-
karmsiya village in Waghodia taluka as cholera-affect-
ed after 31 persons complained of symptoms of the
disease.
10 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
• In 2015, to deal with malaria and dengue in  Chandi-
garh, the Act was implemented and controlling officers
were instructed to ensure the issuance of notices and
challans of Rs 500 to offenders.
• In 2009, to tackle the swine flu outbreak in Pune, Sec-
tion 2 powers were used to open screening centres in
civic hospitals across the city, and swine flu was de-
clared a notifiable disease.
Govt Declared Masks, Hand
Sanitisers ‘Essential’ Commodities
Following reports of shortage and irrational pricing
of hand sanitisers and masks, the central government on
March 13 declared these items “essential commodities”
until the end of June.
Essential Commodities Act, 1955
• Government has notified an Order under the Essential
Commodities Act to declare masks and hand sanitis-
ers as Essential Commodities up to 30th June, 2020 by
amending the Schedule of the Essential Commodities
Act, 1955, in view of the ongoing outbreak of  COV-
ID-19  (Coronavirus) and concern of the logistics for
COVID-19 management particularly masks (2 ply &
3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers
which are either not available with most of the vendors
in the market or are available with great difficulty at
exorbitant prices.
• However, the designation of masks and hand sanitisers
as “essential commodities” does not mean that the gov-
ernment considers them to be ‘essential’, in the literal
sense, in the fight against COVID-19.
• The Essential Commodities Act is an act to provide in
the interest of the general public, for the control of the
production, supply and distribution of, and trade and
commerce, in certain commodities.
• Under the Act, the government can also fix the maxi-
mum retail price (MRP) of any packaged product that it
declares an “essential commodity”.
• The law, which was passed in 1955 to essentially, pro-
tect consumers from unreasonable and exploitative in-
creases in prices of commodities in times of shortage,
has been amended several times over the years, and
made more stringent.
• The Act defines an “essential commodity” as simply “a
commodity specified in the Schedule”.
• The Act empowers the central government to add new
commodities to the list of Essential Commodities as
and when the need arises, and to remove them from
the list once the crisis is over or the situation improves.
• Over the years, a long list of items have been designat-
ed as essential commodities, including various drugs,
fertilisers, cereals, pulses, sugar, edible oils, petroleum
and petroleum products, and certain crops.

• In the present situation, the government can intervene
to regulate the supply and pricing of masks and hand
sanitisers, and also notify their stock-holding limits.
• States and Union Territories implement this order by
acting on the notification issued by the Centre, and im-
plementing the regulations. Anybody trading or deal-
ing in the essential commodity, including wholesalers,
retailers, manufacturers, and importers, is barred from
stocking it beyond the specified quantity.
Significance of the Order
• The coronavirus pandemic has triggered panic buying
of masks and hand sanitisers at many places around the
world, including in India. The government’s order has
come in the wake of reports of a shortage of these com-
modities and a sudden and sharp spike in their prices,
and the alleged hoarding of stocks by manufacturers.
• The purpose of designating any commodity as “essen-
tial” is to prevent profiteering at a time of extraordi-
nary demand. Violators are, therefore, termed as illegal
hoarders or black-marketeers who can be prosecuted.
Besides penalties, the violation may lead to imprison-
ment for a maximum period of seven years.
• Agencies of state governments and Union Territory ad-
ministrations are empowered to conduct raids to catch
violators. The government can confiscate excess stock
hoarded by retailers/traders/manufacturers, and either
auction it or sell it through fair-price shops.
Government Approves Change of Land
Use for Central Vista Development
The Union government has approved change of land
use in the Delhi Master Plan 2021 for the Central Vista
redevelopment project, based on the recommendation of
the Delhi Development Authority recently.
• This paves the way for the construction of the new Par-
liament building and other projects in the prestigious
Central Vista. This decision will ensure that the green
areas and public-semi-public spaces are adequately
compensated or enhanced.
• The approval comes after DDA submitted its recom-
mendations to the Centre after considering nearly 1,300
objections and suggestions from the public on the pro-
posed land use change.
Central Vista of New Delhi
• The Central Vista of New Delhi consists of iconic
buildings such as the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament
House, North and South Blocks, and India Gate, which
were constructed before 1931.
• Parliament House building came up in 1927 and is de-
clared heritage building.
Significance of the Changes
• The other office buildings were built on various plots
INDIA WATCH
subsequently to address the office requirements of Cen-
tral ministries and departments in an unplanned man-
ner.
• Also, at present there is unnecessary travel leading to
congestion and pollution as the offices are spread over
different locations, affecting inter-departmental coordi-
nation.
• The facilities and infrastructure of Parliament House
are inadequate to meet the current demand. Therefore,
there is an imperative need to construct a new state-
of-the-art Parliament building in close vicinity. This
proposal may address not only the space requirement
but may result into an iconic structure as a symbol of
democracy.
India Releases Draft Defence Procure-
ment Procedure 2020
The draft of the defence procurement procedure (DPP)
2020 was released by the defence minister on 20 March
2020. It aims at promoting indigenous manufacturing and
reducing the painfully long time it presently takes to com-
plete the procurement cycle.
• The draft DPP 2020 has been prepared by a Review
Committee headed by Director General (Acquisition)
based on the recommendations of all stakeholders,
including private industry and eight sub-committees
headed by Lt Gen/equivalent officers.
• The first DPP was promulgated in 2002 to provide im-
petus to the growing domestic industry and achieve en-
hanced self-reliance in defence manufacturing. 
Draft Defence Procurement Procedure 2020
• Indigenous Content Ratio Hiked: It proposes increas-
ing the Indigenous Content (IC) stipulated in various
categories of procurement by about 10% to support the
‘Make in India’ initiative.
• New Category Buy (Global – Manufacture in India):
The new category Buy (Global – Manufacture in India)
has been introduced with minimum 50% indigenous
content on cost basis of total contract value. Only the
minimum necessary will be bought from abroad while
the balance quantities will be manufactured in India.
This would be in preference to the ‘Buy Global’ cat-
egory as manufacturing will happen in India and jobs
will be created in the country.
• Leasing Introduced as a New category: Leasing has
been introduced for acquisition in addition to existing
‘Buy’ & ‘Make’ categories to substitute huge initial capi-
tal outlays with periodical rental payments. Leasing is
permitted from Indian as well as Global entity. This will
be useful for military equipment not used in actual war-
fare like transport fleets, trainers, simulators, etc.
• Software Procurement: A new Chapter is introduced
for procurement of software and systems related pro-
jects as in such projects, obsolescence is very fast due
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 11
CURRENT AFFARIS
to rapid changes in technology and flexibility in the
procurement process is required to keep up with the
technology.
• Post Contract Management: It introduces the concept
of Post Contract Management to facilitate and provide
clear guidelines for issues arising during the contract
period as typically Defence contracts last for a long pe-
riod.
• Price Variation Clause: A “price variation clause”
has been introduced that will be applicable to all cases
where the total cost of contract is more than Rs 1,000
crore and the delivery schedule exceeds 60 months.
• Specialised Trial Wings: Field Evaluation Trials to
be conducted by specialised trial wings and the objec-
tive of trials will be to nurture competition rather than
elimination for minor deficiencies.
• Procurement from Startups: A comprehensive
Chapter introduced for ‘Make’ to cover procurement
from manufacturers in India including start-ups and in-
novators and from research projects of DRDO.
• Product Support: The scope and options for Product
Support have been widened to include contemporary
concepts in vogue, namely Performance Based Lo-
gistics (PBL), Life Cycle Support Contract (LCSC),
Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC), etc to
optimise life cycle support for equipment. The capital
acquisition contract would normally also include sup-
port for five years beyond the warranty period.
• Offset Guidelines Modified : Modified offset guide-
lines proposed to give emphasis on export of products
rather than components. Higher multipliers proposed
for procurement from MSMEs and units established in
Defence Industrial Corridors. Higher multipliers pro-
posed for Transfer of Technology to private Companies
/ DPSUs / OFB and DRDO.
• Intellectual Property Rights: The contracts will ac-
knowledge the intellectual property rights of the seller
over the equipment being supplied to the MoD. This
should address a long-standing demand, especially of
foreign companies, though this concession is sought to
be balanced by the standard provision in the contracts
that would allow the MoD to indigenise assemblies and
sub-assemblies of the equipment.
Conclusion
The DPP-2020 is aligned with the vision of the govern-
ment to empower the private industry through the ‘Make
in India’ initiative, with the ultimate aim of turning India
into a global manufacturing hub.
UP Passes Ordinance to Recover
Damages to Property during Pro-
tests, Strikes
The Uttar Pradesh government has armed itself with
12 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
a stringent new law, the ‘Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Dam-
ages to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2020’ to
recover compensation from those who damage public and
private property during protests and riots.
UP Recovery of Damages to Public and Pri-
vate Property Ordinance 2020
• It aims at dealing with violent acts at public places, con-
trolling its persistence and escalation and providing for
recovery of damage to public or private property during
hartal, bandhs, riots, public commotion, protests.
• Claims for compensation will be decided by designated
‘Claims Tribunals’ that will be authorised to investi-
gate complaints and assess the damage.
• The owner of any private property or the head of the
office concerned in respect of public property, may file
claims for compensation within three months of any
incident that causes any damage during public protests,
bandhs or riots. The claim can cite as respondents those
who “exhorted” or “instigated” or “committed” acts
that caused the damage, as well as those named by the
police.
• The claims would cover not only damage to public and
private property but also the costs borne by the police
and administration in taking preventive measures.
• Every order or award passed by the Claims Tribu-
nal would be “final”. Also, no civil court will have
the jurisdiction to entertain any questions regarding the
claims.
• The chairperson of the Claims Tribunal would be a re-
tired district judge while its members would be of the
rank of additional commissioner.
• The Claims Tribunal would have the power to attach the
property of the respondents and publicise their names,
addresses and photographs to warn public against pur-
chasing the property.
• The Claims Tribunal shall have all the powers of Civ-
il Court for the purpose of taking evidence on oath and
enforcing the attendance of witnesses and compelling
the discovery and production of documents and mate-
rial objects, the notification said.
• The Tribunal will have to adhere to the principles of
natural justice, issue notices and receive replies from
the respondents, but it also has the power to decide a
matter ex parte, if those given notices do not respond.
• The pendency of any criminal proceedings relating to
the incidents would not be a bar on the Tribunals pro-
ceeding with their work.
• The Claims Tribunal also has the power to appoint a
Claims Commissioner to estimate the damage caused
and investigate liability to assist it in holding the inquiry.
The compensation, if unpaid, can be recovered through
the District Collectors as arrears of land revenue.

Conclusion
• The ordinance is yet another step taken by the state
government that highlights its relentless stand against
“rioters.
• In a first, recently, the government also had put up
hoardings of all the accused along with their pictures
, names and addresses at a number of prominent areas
in Lucknow in a bid to name and shame the accused.
• However the Allahabad High Court ordered the gov-
ernment to remove the banners. The move was chal-
lenged by the government in the Supreme Court but the
apex court also refused to put a stay on the HC’s order.
• Now, only time will tell if the ordinance can pass
through the lens of supreme court or not.
ECI Unveils Roadmap for Revamp
of Electoral Process
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is consider-
ing new voting methods, capping the campaign expendi-
ture of political parties, online registration of new voters
at 17 years and ending social media campaigning 48 hours
before polling among the recommendations proposed by
working groups it set up in 2019.
Main Recommendations of ECI
• Single Form: Replacing all the forms for various voter
services, including registration of new voter and change
of address, with one single form as multiple numbers of
forms create confusion and affect the efficiency in the
process.
• Early Registration: To start online registration facili-
ties at the school or college-level for all prospective
voters at 17 years of age so they can be enrolled in the
electoral roll as soon as they become eligible at 18.
• Multiple Phases of Registration: The ECI also rec-
ommended four cut-off dates in a year to enroll as a
voter. Currently, January 1 is the qualifying date so
those who turn 18 after that date are not eligible to vote
the whole year. The ECI has proposed January 1, April
1, July 1 and October 1 as the qualifying dates, while
the Law Ministry has suggested two dates — January
1 and July 1.
• E-Voter Cards: To give out electronic versions of the
voter ID card — EPIC — for convenience of voters.
• Cap on Expenditure: For political parties, the recom-
mendations included online nomination of candidates
and a cap on the spending allowed by parties. Current-
ly, individual candidates are allowed a limited expendi-
ture on campaigning.
• Control on Social Media: To impose a “silence period
of 48 hours” before polling on social media and print
media. Campaigning on electronic media in the last 48
hours before polling is prohibited currently.
INDIA WATCH
• Multiple Voting Methods: To introduce new “safe and
secure” voting methods.
Issues in Electoral Process
• Criminalisation of Politics leading to the use of money
and muscle power.
• Major Share of Affluent Section in the legislatures
• Dismal representation of Poor Section inspite of high
voting percentage amongst them
• Excessive expenditure in electoral campaigns despite
financial regulations placed by Election Commission of
India
• Opacity and lack of transparency in election funding
inspite of electoral bonds
• Difficulty in regulating social media and Print Media
for Paid news
• Lack of adequate power with the ECI in its fight against
“vote buying” and hate speech.
• Party and Leader cult becoming more important than
the actual merit of the local candidates
Way Forward
Even as electoral democracy has taken strong root in
India and voter electoral participation has remained ro-
bust it is imperative to overcome the bottlenecks in the
existing electoral process. Thus need of the hour is more
transparency in campaign finance, effective regulation of
social media and print media, thorough scrutiny of new
methods of voting and equipping Election Commission of
India with enabling powers to curb hate speech, disqualify
candidates etc.
Judiciary
Supreme Court Ruling Against
Judicial Transparency
In its recent decision, in the Chief Information Com-
missioner v. High Court of Gujarat case, the Supreme
Court,barred citizens from securing access to court re-
cords under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Supreme Court’s Verdict
• The verdict hinged on Section 22 of the RTI Act which
states that the RTI Act shall override any other law like
Official Secrets Act 1923 etc to the extent that the latter
is inconsistent with the former.
• It held that court records can be accessed only through
the rules laid down by each High Court under Article
225 of the Constitution.
• The decision does not preclude the application of the
RTI Act to the administrative side of the court, it does
firmly slam the door shut on accessing, under the RTI
Act, the millions of court records filed on the judicial
side.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 13
CURRENT AFFARIS
Importance of Sharing Court Records
• Ensuring Accountability:A significant number of
decisions taken by the courts influence our daily life.
Every prosecution before a criminal court is essentially
an opportunity to hold the police accountable just as
every writ petition is an opportunity to hold the govern-
ment accountable.
• Source of Information: The pleadings filed by either
party contain reams of information that are useful to
a range of stakeholders such as citizens, journalists,
academics, shareholders, etc., who can better inform
the public discourse on the ramifications of these deci-
sions. This is especially true in cases of public interest
litigation, where the courts indulge in policymaking on
the basis of the report of an amicus curiae or an expert
committee set up by judges.
Critical Analysis of Court’s Reasoning
• First, it concludes that there is no inconsistency be-
tween the RTI Act and the court rules. This is factually
incorrect because the Gujarat High Court Rules unlike
the RTI Act require the submission of an affidavit stat-
ing the purpose of seeking copies of the pleadings. The
RTI Act requires no reasons to be provided while seek-
ing information.
• Second, the court argues that, a special enactment or
rule cannot be held to be overridden by a later general
enactment simply because the latter opens up with a
non-obstante clause, unless there is clear inconsist-
ency between the two legislations.But that is exactly
the point of an non-obstante clause. The accompanying
factual inaccuracy, is its conclusion that there is no in-
consistency between the Gujarat High Court rules and
the RTI Act.
• Third, it concluded that Section 22 could not be read in
a manner to imply repeal of other laws, such as the Gu-
jarat High Court Rules. The court states that if the in-
tention was to repeal another law, the legislature would
have specifically stated so in the RTI Act, as was done
in Section 31 when the RTI Act repealed the previous
Freedom of Information Act, 2002. This reasoning is
bewildering because it would render non-obstante
clauses entirely useless.
Issues with the Decision from Citizen’s
Perspective
• Administrative Discretion: Most High Court Rules
allow only parties to a legal proceeding to access the
records of a case. Some High Courts may allow third
parties to access court records if they can justify their
request. This is entirely unlike the RTI Act, where no
reasons are required to be provided thereby vastly re-
ducing the possibility of administrative discretion.
• Logistical Perspective: Unlike the RTI Act, the pro-
cedure under the Rules of most High Courts is chal-
14 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
lenging from a logistical perspective as an application
under the RTI Act can be made by post, with the fee
being deposited through a postal order. But most High
Courts and the Supreme Court require physical filing of
an application with the Registry, and a hearing before
a judge to determine whether records should be given.
Conclusion
The judiciary’s track record of transparency is vastly
inferior when compared to other arms of the state. In to-
day’s world where every public institution is striving to
become more transparent, the continued resistance from
the judiciary to making itself transparent in a meaningful
manner will have an eroding effect on its legitimacy.
Madras High Court Sets Aside Re-
straints on Puducherry Lt.Governor
A Madras High Court 2019 order restraining Puduch-
erry Lt. Governor from interfering in the day-to-day af-
fairs of the elected government was set aside by a division
bench recently stating that the elected Chief Minister and
the appointed Lt. Governor should work in unison.
Court’s Verdict
• The Bench stated in its that its role is not to lay down
who has residual control — whether it is the Council
of Ministers or the Administrator — but to stress the
existing legal framework under which their powers are
defined.
• The main ground to set aside the previous verdict is that
it was based on an inappropriate parallel sought to be
drawn between a ‘Union Territory’ and a ‘State’.
Procedure in Case of Difference of Opinion
• The Supreme Court in relation to the National Capi-
tal Territory of Delhi Case held that Lt. Governors and
Prelims Facts 
lll
Constitutional Provisions for Puducherry
ŠŠ Article 239A of the constitution allows Parliament to
create a law for Puducherry.
ŠŠ In lieu of this parliament enacted the Government
of Union Territories Act, 1963, which states that
Puducherry,is a Union Territory with an elected leg-
islative Assembly and the executive constituted by
the Lieutenant Governor and Council of Ministers.
ŠŠ The Lt. Governor is appointed as the nominal head
of Puducherry by the President of India for a term
five years.
ŠŠ The Government of Union Territories Act, 1963
which governs Puducherry vests the legislative as-
sembly with the power to make laws on “any of the
matters enumerated in the State List or

Chief Ministers must work in unison as far as possible.
• In the event of an unresolved difference of opinion, the
L-G should refer it to the President for a decision.
Social Issues
Cabinet Gives Stimulus to Domestic
Manufacturing of Medical Devices
With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting global supply
chains, especially of medical products and devices, India
is pushing to become a global manufacturing hub.
Highlights of the Cabinet Decision
• Medical Device Parks and Bulk Drug Parks: The
Cabinet recently approved incentives for the states
for setting up ‘Medical Device Parks’ and ‘Bulk Drug
Parks’ across the country to boost domestic manufactur-
ing of medical devices, key starting materials (KSM),
drug intermediaries and active pharmaceutical ingredi-
ents (API). It will give grants-in-aid to each state, up
to Rs 100 crore for each ‘Medical Device Park’ and Rs
1,000 crore for each ‘Bulk Drug Park’ over the next
five years.
• Production Linked Incentive: The Centre has also
approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes
for promoting domestic manufacturing in these sec-
tors. The PLI will add up to Rs 6,940 crore for critical
KSMs, drug intermediates and APIs over the next eight
years, and Rs 3,420 crore for medical devices over the
next five years.
Significance of the Decision
• India currently imports APIs worth Rs 42,000 crore,
and exports worth Rs 32,000 crore. There is a gap, be-
cause of which of which we were not able to sustain the
drug security of the country. Also India imports 85% of
the medical devices.
• Further, the medical device sector which suffers from
a cost of manufacturing disability of around 12-15%,
vis-a-vis competing economies, due to lack of adequate
infrastructure and domestic supply chain among other
factors, urgently needed to be compensated by the gov-
ernment.
• The government has estimated that the push will lead to
incremental sales of Rs 46,400 crore in the KSM, API
sector over the next eight years, and Rs 68,437 crore in
medical devices over five years.
Contact Tracing to Help Control
Disease Outbreaks
As the number of coronavirus cases in India increas-
es, authorities in different states are relying on contact
INDIA WATCH
tracing, a concept in epidemiology (the study of the distri-
bution and determinants of health-related states or events)
that involves tracing the number of people an infected per-
son comes in contact with. The idea behind contact trac-
ing is to stop the outbreak by breaking the transmission
chains.
• It is not a novel concept and has been used as a meth-
od to track cases of the Ebola virus in Africa. In 2014,
when the first Ebola cases began to be reported in Sierra
Leone’s Kambria district, a contact tracing mechanism
was devised, wherein the tracers were responsible for
monitoring the contacts of confirmed Ebola cases daily.
Contact tracing
Contact tracing is one of the methods of detecting an
outbreak and the number of infected people. According to
WHO, contact tracing can be broken down into three steps:
a) Contact identification: This involves identifying the
contacts of the infected person by asking about the per-
son’s activities and those of people around them since
the onset of illness.
b) Contact listing: This means listing all those people
who came in contact with the infected person. Efforts
should be made to identify every listed contact and to
inform them of their contact status, what it means, the
actions that will follow, and the importance of receiv-
ing early care if they develop symptoms. In some areas
across India, authorities are releasing lists of those who
are quarantined and are identifying their houses by put-
ting quarantine posters in front of their houses;
c) Contact follow-up: It involves regular follow-ups with
all the contacts to monitor for symptoms and test for
signs of infection.
Significance of Contact Tracing in Control-
ling the Coronavirus Outbreak
• Since everyone has many contacts, contact tracing is
useful when there are only a few cases.
• A recent research published in the journal Lancet on
the feasibility of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak
by using isolation of cases and contacts said that in or-
der to control 90 per cent of the outbreaks, 80 per cent
of contacts needed to be traced and isolated.
• However, while a fifth of the world’s population is cur-
rently isolated and under lockdown, it may not be fea-
sible to trace contacts of all the infected patients given
the scale of the current coronavirus outbreak, with over
4 lakh infected people.
• Further in some scenarios, isolation alone would be un-
likely to control the outbreak within a period of three
months as case isolation was more effective when there
was little transmission before symptom onset and when
the delay from symptom onset to isolation was short.
Conclusion
• While contact tracing is an important step during a dis-
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 15
CURRENT AFFARIS
ease outbreak, it is insufficient alone in controlling it,
requiring other interventions.
• Rapid and effective contact tracing can reduce the ini-
tial number of cases, which would make the outbreak
easier to control overall. Further, with isolation it could
contribute to reducing the overall size of an outbreak
or bringing it under control over a longer time period.
New POCSO Rules Make the Law
Against Sexual Offences More
Stringent
The Union government has notified the Protection of
Children from Sexual Offences Rules, 2020 which enables
implementation of recent amendments to the Act under
which provisions of punishment for child abuse has been
made more stringent.
Provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences Rules, 2020
• For crackdown on child pornography, the rules state
that any person who has received any pornographic
material involving a child or any information regard-
ing such pornographic material being stored, pos-
sessed, distributed, circulated, transmitted, facilitated,
propagated or displayed, or is likely to be distributed,
facilitated or transmitted in any manner shall report the
contents to the special juvenile police unit (SJPU) or
police, or the cybercrime portal.
• The report shall include the details of the device in
which such pornographic content was noticed and the
suspected device from which such content was re-
ceived including the platform on which the content was
displayed.
• Under the rules, the State governments have been asked
to formulate a child protection policy based on the prin-
ciple of “zero-tolerance” to violence against children,
which shall be adopted by all institutions, organisa-
tions, or any other agency working with, or coming in
contact with children.
• The Central government and every State government
shall provide periodic training including orientation
programmes, sensitisation workshops and refresher
courses to all persons, whether regular or contractual,
coming in contact with the children, to sensitise them
about child safety and protection and educate them re-
garding their responsibility under the Act.
• The Centre and State governments have been asked to
prepare age-appropriate educational material and cur-
riculum for children, informing them about various
aspects of personal safety, including measures to pro-
tect their physical and virtual identity; and to safeguard
their emotional and mental wellbeing, prevention and
16 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
protection from sexual offences and reporting mecha-
nisms, including Childline helpline services through
toll free number - 1098.
• Orientation programme and intensive courses may also
be organised for police personnel and forensic experts
for building their capacities in their respective roles on
a regular basis.
• Any institution housing children or coming in regu-
lar contact with children, including schools, creches,
sports academies or any other facility for children must
ensure a police verification and background check on
periodic basis of every staff.
The new POCSO rules became effective from March  9.
The POCSO Act was enacted in 2012 to provide a ro-
bust legal framework for the protection of children from
offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornog-
raphy, while safeguarding the interests of children at every
stage of the judicial process.
Art and Culture
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Voted the
Greatest Leader in World History
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Em-
pire, has been named the “Greatest Leader of All Time”
in a poll conducted by BBC World Histories Magazine.He
was nominated for forging a modern empire of tolerance.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
• Ranjit Singh was born in Gujranwala just north of La-
hore in November 1780.
• The name Ranjit, meaning ‘victor in battle’, was given
to him as a child to commemorate his father’s victory
over a regional rival.
• When his father died in 1792, he became the head of
the Sukerchakia Misl, at the ripe age of 12 years. Sub-
sequently, with his rise he began to be called the ‘Lion
of Punjab’.
• He was a strong and courageous soldier, an efficient
administrator and a skilful diplomat.
• He rose to prominence at the end of eighteenth century
and soon brought all Sikh Chiefs west of Sutlej under
his control and established the kingdom of Punjab.
• He was a military genius who built up a powerful, dis-
ciplined and well-equipped army along European lines
with the help of European instructors. His new army
was not only confined to Sikhs but also included Gur-
khas, Biharis, Oriyas, Pathans , Dogras and Punjabi
Muslims.
• He set up modern foundries to manufacture cannon at
Lahore and employed Muslim gunners to man them.
• He was tolerant and liberal in religious matters. He not

only restored Sikh temples – most notably the rebuild-
ing of Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple, at Amrit-
sar in marble (1809) and gold (1830) –but also donated
a tonne of gold to plate the Hindu Kashi Vishwanath
temple to Lord Shiva in Varanasi. He patronised Hindu
temples, Muslim mosques, and Sufi shrines, and in a
nod to Hindu sensibilities banned the slaughter of cows.
News Bytes
SC Clears Permanent Commission
for Women in Navy
On 17th March, the Supreme Court granted permanent
commission for women officers in the Navy, saying “wom-
en can sail with same efficiency as male officers and there
should be no discrimination.”
• A permanent commission entitles an officer to serve in
the Navy till he/she retires unlike short service com-
mission (SSC), which is currently for 10 years and can
be extended by four more years, or a total of 14 years.
• The division bench of justices held that denying per-
manent commission for women amount to miscarriage
of justice.
• It said there cannot be gender discrimination in grant-
ing permanent commission to women officers in the
Navy after the statutory bar was lifted by the Centre to
allow entry of women.
• The bench rejected the Centre’s stand that women of-
ficers in Navy can’t be granted sea duties because its
Russian vessels don’t have washrooms for them. There
is enough documentary evidence to suggest women of-
ficers in Navy brought accolades to force, it said.
• The verdict also grants pension benefits to women of-
ficers in Navy who have retired and not granted perma-
nent commission.
Army Launches Operation Namaste
to Combat COVID-19
Operation Namaste is a campaign launched by the In-
dian Army to combat the spread of COVID-19 and help the
government in its fight against the pandemic. The army un-
der its anti-COVID-19 codenamed operation Namaste has
established eight quarantine facilities across the country.
• Operation Namaste — which refers to the practice of
greeting people with a namaste instead of a handshake
to avoid physical contact — has two key elements. One
is being fully ready to assist civil authorities to battle
COVID-19 and the second one is doing everything to
protect its own forces from getting affected.
• As part of the campaign, the army has established com-
INDIA WATCH
mand wise helpline numbers. Further, the facilities for
families of army to visit the nearest army camp in case
of emergency has also been set-up.
Section 188 IPC Invoked for Violating
COVID-19 Lockdown
A  21-day countrywide lockdown to contain the
spread of COVID-19 has been announced by the govern-
ment since 25th March . Those violating the lockdown or-
ders can face legal action under the  Epidemic Diseases
Act, 1897, which lays down punishment as per Section 188
of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, for flouting such orders.
Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code
• Section 3 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, provides
penalties for disobeying any regulation or order made
under the Act. These are according to Section 188 of
the Indian Penal Code (Disobedience to order duly
promulgated by public servant).
• Under Section 188, there two offences:
(a) Disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by
a public servant, If such disobedience causes ob-
struction, annoyance or injury to persons lawfully
employed. The prescribe punishment is simple im-
prisonment for 1 month or fine of Rs 200 or both
(b) If such disobedience causes danger to human life,
health or safety, etc. In this punishment is simple
imprisonment for 6 months or fine of Rs 1000 or
both
• According to the First Schedule of the Criminal Proce-
dure Code (CrPC), 1973, both offences are cognizable,
bailable, and can be tried by any magistrate.
• Also it is not necessary that the offender should intend
to produce harm, or contemplate his disobedience as
likely to produce harm. It is sufficient that he knows of
the order which he disobeys, and that his disobedience
produces, or is likely to produce, harm.
PM-CARES: An Emergency
Relief Fund
On 28th March, Prime Minister  of India announced
the creation of an assistance and emergency situation re-
lief fund , Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Re-
lief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES), where
people can contribute and help in the government’s fight
against coronavirus.
The prime minister is the chairman of the new public
charitable trust and its members include the defence min-
ister , home minister and the finance minister.
The PM-CARES fund will go a long way in creating
a healthier India
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 17
CURRENT AFFARIS
PM Garib Kalyan Relief Package
On March 26, Finance Minister announced the Prime
Minister’s Garib Kalyan package — a range of measures
that the Government of India will take to alleviate the eco-
nomic, health, and food-related distress of India’s poor in
the wake of the national lockdown to combat the spread
of the novel coronavirus.
• The package will cost the national exchequer Rs 1.7
lakh crore, which is 0.8 per cent of India’s estimated
gross domestic product in the current financial year
(about Rs 204 lakh crore). However, not all this money
is in addition to what was announced in the Union Bud-
get; some of the announcements refer to expenditure
which would have happened under normal circum-
stances as well.
Need of the Package
• Ever since March 22 Janata Curfew, there have been
demands that the government should come out with a
relief package for the poor, as well as those in the in-
formal sector, which accounts for 90 per cent of all jobs
in the country — the demands increased after Prime
Minister announced a 21-day national lockdown start-
ing March 25.
• The FM’s previous relief package, announced on March
24, was primarily targeted towards the firms in the or-
ganised sector of the economy. The PMGK, which
came 36-hours after the start of the national lockdown,
attempts to plug these gaps.
Salient Features of PM Garib Kalyan Package
There are five elements to the PMGK package.
1. Medical insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh for all health
workers (doctors, paramedics, Asha workers etc.)
treating patients.
2. Help for the Poor Engaged in the Unorganised Sec-
tor.: The help is in two ways:
• One, the central government, working with the
state governments, will provide an additional quota
of food grains free of cost to all 80 crore beneficiar-
ies under the Public Distribution System. As such,
PDS beneficiaries will get 5 kg of wheat (or rice)
per month for the next three months. Additionally,
each household (or family) will get 1 kg of pulses
per month.
• Two, the government announced 6 types of addi-
tional cash transfers. These are:
• * Rs 2,000 per farmer to 9 crore farmers under the
PM-KISAN scheme.
• * An additional Rs 1,000 per month pension for the
next 3 months for those receiving old age, widow
or disability pensions. This is one-time payment; in
other words, it does not mean their basic pensions
18 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
have been raised. This is expected to help 3 crore
beneficiaries.
• * Rs 500 per month will be transferred for the next
3 months to women holding a Jan Dhan bank ac-
count. This is expected to help 20 crore women.
• * Over 8 crore women who are registered benefi-
ciaries under Ujjwala Yojana will get one LPG cyl-
inder per month for the next three months.
• * Women Self Help Groups across the country —
roughly around 63 lakh of them — can now take
collateral-free loans up to Rs 20 lakh instead of
the existing limit of Rs 10 lakh. This is not a cash
transfer, rather an enabling provision for receiving
higher credit.
• * Wages paid for manual labour under MGNREGA
have been increased from Rs 180 per day to Rs 202
per day. This move will help 5 crore households
and enable them to earn Rs 2,000 as additional
income. However, the work needs to be done in a
manner that ensures social distancing.
3. Help for the Poor Engaged in the Organised Sector:
There are two initiatives announced by the government.
• Firstly, the GoI will pay the EPF contributions —
12% of the basic salary — of both the employees
and the employers for the next three months. How-
ever, this move applies only to about 4 lakh firms
where the total number of employees is less than
100, and where 90 per cent of the employees earn
less than Rs 15,000 per month. The move is aimed
at reducing the monetary strain on small firms in
the organised sector that may feel compelled to fire
employees given the mounting financial strain.
• Secondly, the government has amended the Em-
ployees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
regulations to enable workers to withdraw a non-
refundable advance from their EPF accounts. This
amount is, however, limited to 75 per cent of the
total money in one’s EPF account, or one’s salary
for three months, whichever is lower.
4. Help for Construction Workers: The construction ac-
tivities have been severely hit over the past few years,
given the sharp slowdown in the Indian economy as
well as the mess in India’s real estate sector. The com-
plete shutdown of economic activity as a result of the
lockdown has essentially rendered all labourers jobless
overnight. To alleviate the economic distress of con-
struction workers, the government has asked state gov-
ernments to use the money — roughly Rs 31,000 crore
— already available in a welfare fund for construction
workers.
contd. to page No. 47

ECONOMY
WATCH
Agriculture
• APEDA Signs MoU with SFAC
Government Policy
• Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products
Scheme
• LLP Settlement Scheme 2020
• Kerala Sought Relaxation of FRBM Rules
• Companies (Amendment) Bill 2020
Banking and Finance
• Recapitalisation of Regional Rural Banks
• RBI Writes Down AT-1 Bonds to Reconstruct Yes Bank
• NSE Enters Bear Market
• Merger of Banks Comes into Effect
Infrastructure
• India’s First Land Record Service Index
News Bytes
• Bhoomi Rashi Portal
• ARI-516 - New Hybrid Variety of Grapes
• Invest India Business Immunity Platform
• Country-by-Country Report
In Focus
• RBI Guidelines for Regulating Payment Aggregators and
Payment Gateways
• Multiple Mega Food Parks and Integrated Cold Chain
Projects Sanctioned under PMKSY
North East Venture Fund
• North East Venture Fund(NEVF) has disbursed over
Rs.18 crore to 12 start-ups till February,2020, as per the
data provided in the Parliament.
• NEVF was launched in 2017 by the North Eastern De-
velopment Finance Corporation Limited(NEDFi) in as-
sociation with the Ministry of Development of North
Eastern Region(M-DoNER).
• Aim:To contribute to the entrepreneurship develop-
ment of the NER and achieve attractive risk-adjusted
returns through long term capital appreciation by way
of investments in privately negotiated equity related in-
vestments.
ECONOMY WATCH
PIB CORNER
• It focuses on startups in five sectors namely a) food pro-
cessing b) healthcare c) tourism d) aggregation of servic-
es and e) IT and IT-enabled services.
• It is a close ended fund with capital commitment of Rs
100 crore.Each investment will be limited to a minimum
of Rs.25 lakh and a maximum of Rs.10 crores with long
term investment horizon of 4-5 years.
MSME Sambandh and Udyam Sakhi Portal
• Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises(MSME) has urged all the female entrepre-
neurs to take maximum benefits from various MSME
portals like Sambandh and Udyam Sakhi Portal.
• MSME Sambandh: This portal aims to help in monitor-
ing the implementation of public procurement policy for
micro and small enterprises.
• Udyam Sakhi: It aims to encourage women entrepreneurs
by creating business models revolving around low-cost
products and services to resolve social inequities.
Other Important Portals for MSME Sector
• MSME Samadhan: It empowers micro and small entre-
preneurs across the country to directly register their cases
relating to delayed payments.
• MSME Sampark: It is a digital platform wherein jobseek-
ers (passed out trainees/students of MSME Technology
Centres) and recruiters get connected.
• Udyami Mitra Portal: It was launched by Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to improve accessi-
bility of credit and handholding services to MSMEs.
Committee to Review Fiscal Consolidation Road-
map of the General Government
• The Chairman of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, has
constituted a Committee to review the fiscal consolida-
tion roadmap of the general government
• The Committee shall make recommendations on the
definition of deficit and debt for the Central government,
overall states, the General Government and public sector
enterprises by considering all explicit and measurable li-
abilities of the sovereign and by bringing in consistency
between the definition of debt (stock) and deficit (flow).
• The Committee shall also lay down the principles for ar-
riving at the debt of the general government debt and con-
solidated public sector with appropriate netting to avoid
double-counting.
• The Committee shall define contingent liabilities, provide
quantifiable measures of such liabilities, wherever pos-
sible, and specify conditions under which “contingent” li-
abilities become “explicit” liabilities of the public sector.
• Based on the above, the Committee shall recommend a
debt and fiscal consolidation roadmap for FY21-FY25
for the Central Government, overall States and General
Government and attempt building up scenarios for public
sector enterprises.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 19
CURRENT AFFARIS
Agriculture
APEDA Signs MoU with SFAC
On 18th March, 2020, the Agricultural and Processed
Food Products Export Development Authority (APE-
DA) signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) for
the development of agriculture and allied sectors.
• APEDA has been in dialog with SFAC for linking of
Farmer Producer Organizations, farmer’s coop-
eratives to the export value chain through capacity
building, production of the quality produce as per the
requirement of importing countries, creation of infra-
structure, facilitating primary and secondary process-
ing in the clusters and also by linking them to the ex-
porters.
Areas of Cooperation
• SFAC to share list of all clusters in various states with
APEDA for achieving scale and aggregation with ex-
port orientation.
• To jointly work together to link up the FPOs/FPCs
Prelims Facts   
lll
Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority
ŠŠ APEDAis the authority established under an act
of Parliament and comes under the administrative
control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
ŠŠ It has been mandated with the responsibility
of export promotion and development of the
scheduled products viz. fruits, vegetables, meat
products, dairy products, alcoholic and non-alco-
holic beverages etc.
ŠŠ It has also been entrusted with the responsibility to
monitor import of sugar.
Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium
ŠŠ SFAC was established as a Society in 1994 to
facilitate agri-business ventures by catalyzing pri-
vate investment through Venture Capital Assis-
tance (VCA) Scheme in close association with
financial institutions.
ŠŠ It is pioneer in organising small and marginal
farmers as Farmers Interest Groups, Farmers
Producers Organisation and Farmers Produc-
ers Company for endowing them with bargaining
power and economies of scale.
ŠŠ It provides a platform for increased accessi-
bility and cheaper availability of agricultural
inputs to small and marginal farmers and in es-
tablishing forward and backward linkages in supply
chain management
20 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
with the exporters to achieve the goal and doubling the
farmers income as well.
• To work towards capacity development, outreach pro-
grams, awareness programs and workshops of various
stakeholders.
• To work together to showcase to the Indian and Global
Market, the products, technologies, processes, knowl-
edge and services
Government Policy
Remission of Duties and Taxes on
Exported Products Scheme
On 13th March, 2020, the Cabinet Committee on Eco-
nomic Affairs gave its approval for introducing the Scheme
for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products
(RoDTEP).
• The scheme which will gradually replace the existing
Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)
is compatible with World Trade Organization (WTO)
rules and aims to boost the country’s dwindling out-
bound shipments
Key Highlights
• Applicability: Textiles and all other sectors which
currently enjoy incentives up to 2% over MEIS will
transit into RoDTEP.
• Reimbursement Mechanism: A mechanism would be
created for reimbursement of taxes/ duties/ levies, at
the central, state and local level, which are currently
not being refunded under any other mechanism, but
which are incurred in the process of manufacture and
distribution of exported products.
• Inter-ministerial Committee: An inter-ministerial
Committee will determine the rates and items for
which the reimbursement of taxes and duties would be
provided.
• End to End Digitization: In line with “Digital In-
dia”, refund under the Scheme, in the form of transfer-
able duty credit/electronic scrip will be issued to the
exporters, which will be maintained in an electronic
ledger. The Scheme will be implemented with end to
end digitization.
• Zero Rating: The refunds under the scheme would be
a step towards “zero-rating” of exports, along with re-
funds such as Drawback and IGST. The rebate would
be claimed as a percentage of the Freight On Board
(FOB) value of exports.
• Risk Management System: A monitoring and audit
mechanism, with an Information Technology based
Risk Management System (RMS), would be put in to
physically verify the records of the exporters.

Need of the Scheme
• At present, GST taxes and import/customs duties for
inputs required to manufacture exported products are
either exempted or refunded.
• However, certain taxes/duties such as VAT on fuel
used in transportation, Mandi tax, Duty on electricity
are outside GST and are not refunded for exports.
• India had earlier lost the case filed by the US at WTO
against its export subsidy schemes, including the
MEIS, on grounds that they were incompatible with
multilateral rules.
• The scheme comes at a time when India’s exports de-
clined for the sixth month in a row in January and face
uncertainty due to the spread of the novel Coronavirus.
Significance of the Scheme
• Cost Competitiveness & Employment Generation:
The scheme would lead to cost competitiveness of ex-
ported products in international markets and better
employment opportunities in export oriented manu-
facturing industries.
• Boost to Domestic Market: This scheme is going to
give a boost to the domestic industry and will increase
the productivity of export-oriented industries, and
contribute to the overall economy.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Merchandise Exports From India Scheme
ŠŠ MEIS was introduced in the Foreign Trade Policy
(FTP) 2015-20.
ŠŠ The objective of the scheme is to offset infrastruc-
tural inefficiencies and associated costs involved
in export of goods/products, which are produced/
manufactured in India, especially those having
high export intensity, employment potential and
thereby enhancing India’s export competitiveness.
LLP Settlement Scheme 2020
On 5th March, 2020, the Centre introduced LLP Set-
tlement Scheme 2020 to help non-compliant Limited
Liability Partnership(LLP) firms turn compliant and
enable ease of doing business for such entities.
Key Features of the Scheme
• It provides a one-time relaxation in additional fee to
the defaulting LLPs by allowing filing of pending
documents and help them serve as a compliant LLP
in future.
• The scheme came into force on March 16, 2020 and
will remain in force up to June 13, 2020.
• It would be applicable to a “defaulting LLP” for filing
documents, which were due for filing till October 31,
2019, on payment of a nominal additional fee of 10 per
day for the period of delay.
ECONOMY WATCH
Significance
• A large number of LLPs have remained non-compli-
ant, mainly on account of their inability to pay late fees
for the cumulative period of delay.
• This government move comes in the wake of several
LLPs defaulting in filing statutory documents and
their inability to correct the situation owing to the fi-
nancial burden arising from the inordinate delays in
statutory compliance.
Limited Liability Partnership
• Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) is an alternative
corporate business form that gives the benefits of
limited liability of a company and the flexibility of
a partnership.
• They are governed under the limited liability part-
nership act of 2008 with the Corporate Affairs Minis-
try implementing the Act.
• Since LLP contains elements of both ‘a corporate
structure’ as well as ‘a partnership firm structure’
LLP is called a hybrid between a company and a
partnership.
Advantages
• Easy to Form: Forming an LLP is an easy process. It
is not complicated and time consuming like the pro-
cess of a company.
• Liability: The partners of the LLP is having limited
liability which means partners are not liable to pay the
debts of the company from their personal assets.
• Perpetual Succession: The life of the Limited Liabil-
ity Partnership is not affected by death, retirement or
insolvency of the partner.
• Easy Transferability of Ownership: There is no re-
striction upon joining and leaving the LLP.
• Taxation: It is exempted from various taxes such as
dividend distribution tax and minimum alternative tax.
The rate of tax on Limited Liability Partnership is less
than as compared to the company.
Kerala Sought Relaxation of
FRBM Rules
On 28th March, Kerala Government urged the Centre
to provide relaxation under the Fiscal Responsibility and
Budget Management (FRBM) Act so as to ensure that the
State’s finances are not adversely impacted in the rest of
the financial year starting on April 1st, 2020. In order to
help fund the emergency relief package, the Kerala Gov-
ernment proposed to borrow nearly 12,500 crore from the
market in April, 2020.
Reasons for Seeking Relaxation
• Given that the ongoing pandemic could be considered
as a national calamity — which in conjunction with
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 21
CURRENT AFFARIS
the ongoing lockdown to combat might cause a severe
contraction in economic output — the current circum-
stances would be apt for suspending both the Centre’s
and States’ fiscal deficit targets.
• Further, the State government is understandably con-
cerned that the stringent borrowing cap under the fis-
cal responsibility laws should not constrain its borrow-
ing and spending ability over the remaining 11 months.
• During this period the state not only need to continue
with its COVID-19 mitigation measures but would also
have to meet other expenditure for routine affairs re-
lated to the running of the State’s socio-economic pro-
grammes as well as the post pandemic recovery.
Relaxation Under FRBM Act
• The law does contain what is commonly referred to as
an ‘escape clause’.
• Escape clauses provide flexibility to governments to
overshoot fiscal deficit targets in times of need, ena-
bling them to respond to economic shocks.
• Under Section 4(2) of the Act, the Centre can exceed
the annual fiscal deficit target citing grounds that in-
clude national security, war, national calamity, col-
lapse of agriculture, structural reforms and decline in
real output growth of a quarter by at least three per-
centage points below the average of the previous four
quarters.
Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Manage-
ment (FRBM) Act
• The FRBM Act was enacted in 2003 which set targets
for the government to reduce fiscal deficits and to in-
troduce transparency in India’s fiscal management sys-
tems.
• The Act’s long-term objective is for India to achieve
fiscal stability and to give the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) flexibility to deal with inflation in India.
• The Act made it mandatory for the government to place
the following along with the Union Budget documents
in Parliament annually:
1. Medium Term Fiscal Policy Statement
2. Macroeconomic Framework Statement
3. Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement
• The Act proposed that revenue deficit, fiscal deficit, tax
revenue and the total outstanding liabilities be project-
ed as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in
the medium-term fiscal policy statement.
• In 2013, the government introduced a change and in-
troduced the concept of effective revenue deficit. This
implies that effective revenue deficit would be equal to
revenue deficit minus grants to states for the creation
of capital assets.
• Further, in 2016, a committee under N K Singh was
set up to suggest changes to the Act.
22 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Prelims Facts 
lll
N K Singh Committee's Recommendations
ŠŠ Targets: The committee suggested using debt as
the primary target for fiscal policy and that the tar-
get must be achieved by 2023.
ŠŠ Fiscal Council: The committee proposed to cre-
ate an autonomous Fiscal Council with a chairper-
son and two members appointed by the Centre
(not employees of the government at the time of
appointment)
ŠŠ Deviations: The committee suggested that the
grounds for the government to deviate from the
FRBM Act targets should be clearly specified.
ŠŠ Borrowings: According to the suggestions of the
committee, the government must not borrow from
the RBI, except when-
p the Centre has to meet a temporary shortfall in
receipts
p RBI subscribes to government securities to fi-
nance any deviations
p RBI purchases government securities from
the secondary market
Companies (Amendment) Bill 2020
On 17th March, the Companies (Amendment) Bill
2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha. This is the second
amendment being made to the companies Act in the last
one year. The Act was amended in July, 2019, to tighten
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) norms and ensure
stricter action for non-compliance of the company law reg-
ulations.The proposed amendment are aimed at improving
ease of doing business.
Key Changes
• As many as 23 offences would be recategorised out of
66 compoundable offences under the Act.
• Besides, seven compoundable offences would be omit-
ted.
• Companies which have an obligation to spend Rs. 50
lakh per annum or less on corporate social responsibity
(CSR) are no longer required to have a CSR commit-
tee.
• Companies which spend over the obligated 2% on CSR
in a particular year can carry it forward as credit for
fulfilment of CSR obligations for the next few years
as well.
• It also includes enabling provisions for the direct list-
ing of securities of Indian public companies in permis-
sible foreign jurisdictions.
• The exemption provided to key managerial posts from
government restrictions on compensation in case a
company is facing liquidation, was expanded to in-
clude independent directors.
 ECONOMY WATCH
(RRBs) to improve their capital-to-risk weighted assets
ratio (CRAR).
• The reason for the infusion was to ensure financially
stronger and robust RRBs with improved CAR to
enable them to meet the credit requirement in the rural
areas.
• At thetime of lockdown due to the COVID-19 crisis,
financially stronger rural banks could also be crucial
to ensuring liquidity in rural areas.
Key Points
• The central government will provide Rs 670 crore and
an equal amount will come from the banks for recapi-
talisation
• Minimum regulatory capital to RRBs will be provided
for another year beyond 2019-20 up to 2020-21, for
those RRBs which are unable to maintain minimum
Prelims Facts 
 
 
lll

Regional Rural Banks

Impact
• The amendments made will help ease of living for law-
abiding corporates and de-clogs the criminal justice
system in the country.
• Criticism
• The Bill is being criticised on the ground of its biased
nature. It has been stated that it is for the corporate, by
the corporate and of the corporate.
• Further, the legislation will further dilute the corporate
social responsibility of the corporate sector.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Companies Act 2013
ŠŠ The Companies Act, 2013 is an Act of the Parlia-
ment of India on Indian company law which regu-
lates incorporation of a company, responsibilities
of a company, directors, dissolution of a company.
ŠŠ It introduces significant changes in the provisions
related to governance, e-management, compli-
ance and enforcement, disclosure norms, auditors
and mergers and acquisitions.
ŠŠ Also, new concepts such as one-person company,
small companies, dormant company, class action
suits, registered valuers and corporate social re-
sponsibility have been included.
Banking and Finance
Recapitalisation of Regional
Rural Banks
On 25th March, 2020, the Centre approved a
,340-crore recapitalisation plan for regional rural banks
ŠŠ RRBs were established under the provisions of an
Ordinance passed on 26th September 1975 and
the RRB Act 1976 to provide sufficient banking
and credit facility for agriculture and other rural
sectors.
ŠŠ As a result, Five Regional Rural Banks were set
up on 2 October 1975.
ŠŠ These were set up on the recommendations of the
Narshimham Committee Working Group.
ŠŠ First RRB, the Prathama Bank, was opened in
Moradabad (UP).
ŠŠ As per the law, the Centre holds 50 percent stake
in RRBs, while 35 percent and 15 percent are
with the concerned sponsor banks and state
governments, respectively.
Capital-To-Risk Weighted Assets Ratio
ŠŠ CRAR also known as the capital adequacy ra-
tio (CAR) is a measurement of a bank’s available
capital expressed as a percentage of a bank’s risk-
weighted credit exposures.
ŠŠ It is used to protect depositors and promote the
stability and efficiency of financial systemsa-
round the world.
ŠŠ Two types of capital are measured: tier-1 capital,
which can absorb losses without a bank being re-
quired to cease trading, and tier-2 capital, which
can absorb losses in the event of a winding-up
and so provides a lesser degree of protection to
depositors.
ŠŠ Currently,the minimum ratio of capital to risk-
weighted assets is 8.0 percent under Basel II and
10.5 percent under Basel III.
ŠŠ However, as per RBI norms, Indian scheduled
commercial banks are required to maintain a
CRAR of 9%.

CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 23

CURRENT AFFARIS
CRARof 9 per cent, as per the regulatory norms pre-
scribed by the RBI.
Background
• Consequent upon the RBI’s decision to introduce dis-
closure norms for CRARof RRBs with effect from
March 2008, a committee was set up under the Chair-
manship of K C Chakrabarty.
• Based on the committee’s recommendations, a scheme
for recapitalization of RRBs was approved by the Cab-
inet in its meeting held in February 2011 to provide
recapitalization support of Rs 2,200 crore to 40 RRBs
with an additional amount of Rs 700 crore as a contin-
gency fund to meet the requirement of the weak RRBs,
particularly in the North Eastern and Eastern Region.
• Therefore, based on the CRAR position of RRBs, as
on March 31 of every year, National Bank for Agri-
culture and Rural Development (NABARD) identifies
those RRBs, which require recapitalisation assistance
to maintain the mandatory CRAR of 9 percent.
• The scheme for recapitalisation of RRBs was started
in 2010-11 and was extended upto 2019-20 in a phased
manner with a financial support of Rs. 2,900 crore
with 50% Government’s share of Rs. 1,450 crore.
Significance of the Recapitalisation
• The RRBs are required to provide 75% of their total
credit as priority sector lending with primary focus on
agricultural credit, including small and marginal farm-
ers, as well as micro entrepreneurs and rural artisans.
• With the recapitalization support to augment CRAR,
RRBs will be able to continue their lending to these
categories of borrowers under their PSL target, and
thus, continue to support rural livelihoods.
RBI Writes Down AT-1 Bonds to
Reconstruct Yes Bank
Recently, the reserve Bank of India, under the scheme
of reconstruction of Yes Bank, decided to write down Yes
bank’s additional tier 1 (AT1) bonds worth Rs. 8,415
crore.
About AT-1 Bonds
• Additional Tier-1 (AT-1) bonds are unsecured perpet-
ual bonds — with no maturity — issued by banks to
shore up their capital base to meet Basel III require-
ments.
• The RBI is the regulator for these bonds.
• TheAT-1Bonds was introduced by Basel III post the
2008 financial crisis, to protect depositors of a bank
on a going concern basis. These bonds are also com-
monly known as Contingent convertible capital in-
struments (CoCos).
• Under the Based III framework, bank’s regulatory
24 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
capital is divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital. Tier 1
capital is subdivided into Common Equity (CET) and
Additional Capital (AT1).
• In simple terms, equity and preference capital is
classified as CET and perpetual bonds are classified
as AT1. Together, CET and AT1 are called Common
Equity.
Features of AT-1 Bonds
• AT1 are a special category of debt designed to absorb
losses in case the bank’s equity capital dips below a
certain threshold.
• These are quasi-equity instruments. These are meant
to be like equity, but are structured as bonds.
• These bonds are listed and traded on the exchanges.
So, if an AT1 bondholder needs money, he can sell it
in the market.
• Banks cannot use conversion or write down of AT1 in-
struments to support expansion of balance sheet.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 Capital
ŠŠ Tier 1 capital is a bank’s core capital and includes
disclosed reserves—that appears on the bank’s fi-
nancial statements—and equity capital. This mon-
ey is the funds a bank uses to function on a regular
basis and forms the basis of a financial institution’s
strength.
ŠŠ Tier 2 capital is a bank’s supplementary capital.
Undisclosed reserves, subordinated term debts,
hybrid financial products, and other items make up
these funds.
ŠŠ In India, banks are required to maintain capital at a
minimum ratio of 11.5 per cent of their risk-weight-
ed loans.
ŠŠ Of this, 9.5 percent needs to be in Tier-1 capital
and 2 percent in Tier-2.
Basel III
ŠŠ It is an international regulatory accord that in-
troduced a set of reforms designed to improve the
regulation, supervision and risk management with-
in the banking sector.
ŠŠ It was published in 2009, largely in response to the
credit crisis associated with the Great Recession.
ŠŠ Its objectives are to:
1. Improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb
ups and downs arising from financial and eco-
nomic instability
2. Improve risk management ability and govern-
ance of banking sector
3. Strengthen bank’s transparency and disclosures
Risk Involved
• As these bonds are perpetual and carry no maturity
date, they carry call options that allow banks to re-

deem them after five or 10 years.
• Banks can stop paying interest on them and also write
off their value.
• In case, if the RBI feels that a bank is tottering on the
brink and needs a rescue, it can simply ask the bank to
cancel its outstanding AT-1 bonds without consulting
its investors. This is what happened with YES Bank’s
AT-1 bond-holders.
Impact
On Investors
• RBI’s write-down of Yes Bank AT1 bonds will not
only be detrimental to the financial interests and
may cause panic redemptions in situations where it
is not warranted, it will severely affect investor’s con-
fidence in debt markets and financial institutions.
• This could also result in the contraction of the inves-
tor base in these bonds, as many would seek to avoid
these bonds in future.
On Banking and Financial System
• Any write-down on existing AT1 bonds will set a
wrong precedence as it may lead to drying up of the
AT-1 market in India completely for all issuers, espe-
cially in light of the fact that the banking system seems
to be under stress.
• Any negative impact on these bonds could also in-
crease the credit spreads across the assets classes and
would have a detrimental impact on RBI’s objective
of transmission of rate cuts to the larger economy.
NSE Enters Bear Market
On 12th March, 2020, after an incessant selling, NSE
Nifty index entered into ‘bear market’ territory. This hap-
pened after the World Health Organisation (WHO) de-
clared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
Bear Market
• A ‘bear market’ is a condition during which a secu-
rity or index plunges more than 20 percent from a
recent high.
• This typically signifies a prevalent negative senti-
ment and a massive sell-off in the market or a par-
ticular stock.
Causes
• A bear market is caused by a loss of investor, business,
and consumer confidence. As confidence recedes, so
does demand. This is the tipping point in the business
cycle. It’s where the peak, accompanied by irrational
exuberance, moves into contraction.
Impact of the Bear Market
• A bear market is more dangerous to invest in, as many
equities lose value. Since it is hard to time a market
ECONOMY WATCH
bottom, most investors withdraw their money from the
markets and sit on cash until the trend reverses.
• During a bear market, the economy slows down and
unemployment rises as companies begin laying off
workers.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Bull Market
ŠŠ A bull market is the opposite of a bear market. It’s
when asset prices rise over time.
ŠŠ It is typified by a sustained increase in price, for ex-
ample in equity markets in the prices of companies’
shares. In such times, investors often have faith that
the uptrend will continue over the long term.
ŠŠ Typically, in this scenario, the country’s economy is
strong and employment levels are high.
Merger of Banks Comes into Effect
The merger of 10 public sector undertaking banks into
four came into effect from 1st April, 2020. The Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved
consolidation of 10 state-run banks into four on 4th March,
2020.
• In 2019, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank were merged
with Bank of Baroda.
• Prior to this, the government had merged five associ-
ate banks of SBI and Bharatiya Mahila Bank with the
State Bank of India.
Key Points
• Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and United Bank
of India will be merged into Punjab National Bank
(PNB). After the merger, these together will form the
second-largest public sector bank in the country, after
State Bank of India (SBI).
• Syndicate Bank will be merged into Canara Bank,
which will make it the fourth-largest public sector
lender.
• Indian Bank will be merged with Allahabad Bank.
• Union Bank of India will be merged with Andhra Bank
and Corporation Bank.
• Customers, including depositors of merging banks will
be treated as customers of the banks in which these
banks have been merged with effect from 1st April,
2020.
• After the merger, there will be 12 PSUs - six merged
banks and six independent public sector banks.
• Six merged banks - SBI, Bank of Baroda, Punjab Na-
tional Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India and
Indian Bank.
• Six independent banks - Indian Overseas Bank, Uco
Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Punjab and Sind Bank,
Bank of India and Central Bank of India.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 25
CURRENT AFFARIS
Impact of the Merger
Smooth Functioning & Better Delivery of Servic-
es
• The Mega consolidation would help create banks with
scale comparable to global banks and capable of com-
peting effectively in India and globally.
• Greater scale and synergy through consolidation would
lead to cost benefits which should enable the PSBs en-
hance their competitiveness and positively impact the
Indian banking system.
• In addition, consolidation would also provide impetus
to amalgamated entities by increasing their ability to
support larger ticket-size lending and have competitive
operations by virtue of greater financial capacity.
Boost to Financial Inclusion
• The adoption of best practices across amalgamating
entities would enable the banks improve their cost ef-
ficiency and risk management, and also boost the goal
of financial inclusion through wider reach.
Competitive Advantage
• Further, with the adoption of technologies across the
amalgamating banks, access to a wider talent pool,
and a larger database, PSBs would be in a position to
gain competitive advantage by leveraging analytics in
a rapidly digitalising banking landscape.
Infrastructure
India’s First Land Record
Service Index
On 27th February, 2020, the National Council of Ap- • Status Reality Check: The N-LRSI is an excellent
plied Economic Research(NCAER) released India’s first
Land Records and Services Index (N-LRSI 2020), which
evaluates the quality of land records in the country and the
extent of their digitalization.
• The Index aims at filling the gaps in economic re-
search, policy analysis, and systematic data on land.
• Land access is a crucial factor for poverty alleviation
and boosting economic growth.
• For government, industry, and citizens to be able to
use this asset effectively and to minimise disputes, it is • Comparative Assessment:The N-LRSI’s comparative
important to have access to reliable land and property
records.
About the Index
• The 2020 N-LRSI is based on data collected over 2019- • Dispute Resolution: As of now, non-availability of
20 on two aspects of the supply of land records: extent
of digitalization and quality of land records.
• The first component, which aims to assess whether a
state has made all its land records digitally available,
has three dimensions—the text of the land records
26 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
(also called the record of rights), the official map asso-
ciated with a land record (also called cadastral maps),
and the property registration process.
• The second component of the Index aims to assess if
the land records are comprehensive and reliable–are
ownership details updated as soon as a sale occurs, the
extent of joint ownership, type of land use, land area
on the record and on the map, and are encumbrances
being recorded (other claims on the property such as
mortgages and court cases).
Components and their Weightage
• Textual records (written land records)-20% weightage
• Spatial records (cadastral maps)- 20% weightage
• Registration- 20% weightage
• Quality of land records- 40% weightage
Key Findings of N-LRSI - 2020
• Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh,
and Tamil Nadu rank as the top States in the N-LRSI
2020.
• West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh are the six States
in the 50-60 point category
• Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are at the bot-
tom.
• For registration, Maharashtra emerged as the leader
while in the extent of ROR digitalization, Dadra and
Nagar Haveli, Odisha and Chhattisgarh are at the top.
• In four states—Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and
Arunachal Pradesh—land records in a written or digi-
tized form are only available for a negligible propor-
tion of their respective areas.
Impact
reality check on the status of land records and their
accessibility in various states. This brings out the
strengths and area of improvement for the government
agencies and makes very practical recommendations
on way forward.
• Formulating Action Plans: It will help formulate
State action plans to attain the goal of secure, assured
land records that mirror ground realities and are gener-
ated by efficient titling services.
assessment of States and UTs will make it possible for
the States to learn from each other, with the best per-
forming States showing how the supply of good, relia-
ble, accessible digital land records has been improved.
proper land records is a big concern for not just prop-
erty buyers but also real estate developers in many
states. The index may help buyers as easy availability
of land records can smoothen transactions and reduce
disputes.

• Boosting Economic Growth: The ease of generating
and using reliable digital land records can have consid-
erable significance for India’s rapid economic growth
through the better functioning of land markets and
boost to investment.
News Bytes
Bhoomi Rashi Portal
On March 13, 2020, the Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways claimed that Bhoomi Rashi Portal has ex-
pedited the process of land acquisition for National High-
ways by making it error-free & more transparent.
About the Portal
• Launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Road Transport
& Highways with the help of National informatics
Centre(NIC), the Bhoomi Rashi Portal acts as a single
point platform for online processing of land acqui-
sition projects to accelerate highway infrastructure
development in India.
• The portal has been integrated with the Public Finan-
cial Management System (PFMS) for depositing the
compensation in the account of affected/ interested
persons on a real-time basis.
• With the operation of this Portal, the land acquisition
process has been expedited significantly, became
error-free and more transparent and the notifications
at every stage are being processed on real time basis.
• Further, it has helped to reduce the processing time
which earlier took months to get cleared,
Prelims Facts  
lll
Public Financial Management System
ŠŠ PFMSis a web-based online software applica-
tion developed and implemented by the Office of
Controller General of Accounts(CGA).
ŠŠ It aims to facilitate a sound Public Financial Man-
agement System for the Government by establish-
ing an efficient fund flow system as well as a
payment cum accounting network.
ŠŠ It’s coverage includes
a) Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes
b) Direct Benefit transfer
Whitefly Resistant Cotton Variety
In a move to fight against whiteflies National Botani-
cal Research Institute (NBRI) Lucknow, has developed a
pest-resistant variety of cotton.As Bt cotton is not resist-
ant against white flies, the new variety provides an edge
over Bt cotton.
• Whiteflies are one of the top ten devastating pests in the
ECONOMY WATCH
world that damage more than 2000 plant species and
also function as vectors for some 200-plant viruses.
• Cotton is one of the worst-hit crops by these pests.
For ex. In 2015 two-third of the cotton crop was de-
stroyed by the pest in Punjab.
Key Points
• To develop the pest-resistant variety researchers used
the leaf extract of an edible fern Tectaria macrodon-
ta, which causes toxicity to the whitefly.
• When whiteflies feed on sub-lethal doses of insecticid-
al protein, it interferes with the life cycle of insect that
in turn resulted with very poor egg laying, abnormal
egg, nymph and larval development and extraordinary
poor emergence of the fly.
• However, this protein was found to be non effective on
non-target insects.
• This clearly shows that the protein is specifically tox-
ic to whitefly and does not cause any harmful effect
on other beneficial insects like butterfly and honeybee.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Tectaria Macrodonta
ŠŠ Tectaria Macrodonta is native to tropical areas of Asia
and commonly found in Western Ghats of India.
ŠŠ The fern is known to be used in salads in Nepal and as a
concoction for gastric disorders inmany regions of Asia.
ARI-516 - New Hybrid Variety of
Grapes
Recently, scientists from Agharkar Research Institute
(ARI), an autonomous institute of Department of Science
and Technology(DST), have developed a hybrid variety of
grapes called ARI-516.
About ARI-516
• The hybrid variety ARI-516 has been developed by in-
terbreeding of two species from the same genus -Cat-
awba variety of Vitis labrusca and Beauty seedless
variety of Vitis vinifera.
• The fungal resistance of ARI-516 has been derived
from Catawba, which is an American grape variety.
• It is tolerant to downy and powdery mildew diseases
as well as to anthracnose disease, a group of fungal
diseases that affect a variety of plants in warm, humid
areas.
• It has superior quality fruits and higher yield per
unit area. An early ripening hybrid, it matures in 110
- 120 days after pruning.
• It is also suitable for preparation of juice, raisin,
jam and red wine,
• Being resistant to a majority of fungal diseases, its
cost of production is lower, providing a better return
to growers.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 27
CURRENT AFFARIS
Prelims Facts 
lll
ŠŠ India ranks twelfth in the world in terms of grape
production.
ŠŠ About 78% of grape production in India is uti-
lized for consumption, 17-20 % for raisin produc-
tion, 1.5 % for wine and 0.5 % for juice.
ŠŠ Maharashtra leads in the production of grapes
in India with a share of 81.22 %.
ŠŠ A majority of farmers in Maharashtra cultivate
‘Thompson seedless’ and its clones for table pur-
pose or raisin making.
Invest India Business Immunity
Platform
The Invest India Business Immunity Platform(BIP) is
working 24X7 as a comprehensive resource to help busi-
nesses and investors get real-time updates on India’s
active response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
About BIP
• Launched on 21st March, 2020, the BIP is the active
platform for business issue redressal, with a team of
dedicated sector experts who respond to queries at the
earliest.
• This dynamic and constantly updating platform keeps
a regular track on developments with respect to
the virus, provides latest information on various cen-
tral and state government initiatives, gives access to
special provisions, and answers and resolves queries
through emails and on WhatsApp.
• BIP has launched ‘Joining the Dots’ campaign to pro-
cure essential healthcare supplies.
• It is also facilitating matchmaking to fill the de-
mand-supply shortages of essential equipment to
combat COVID-19.
About Invest India
• Invest India was formed in 2009 under Section 25 of
the Companies Act 1956 for promotion of foreign in-
vestment with 49% equity of the Department for Pro-
motion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Minis-
try of Commerce and Industry and 51% shareholding
by FICCI.
• The current shareholding pattern of Invest India is 51
% of Industry Associations (i.e. 17% each of FICCI,
CII & NASSCOM) and the remaining 49% of Central
and 19 State Governments.
• It focuses on sector-specific investor targeting and
28 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
development of new partnerships to enable sustain-
able investments in India.
• It facilitates and empowers all investors under the
‘Make in India’ initiative to establish, operate and ex-
pand their businesses in India.
Country-by-Country Report
Recently, the Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT)
has notified rules for furnishing Country-by-Country
Report(CbC) specifying information pertaining to all
large multinational enterprises(MNEs).
• India has signed the Multilateral Competent Authority
Agreement (MCAA) for exchange of CbC reports.
About Country-by-Country Reporting
• It is a form of reporting by multinational enterprises
(MNEs) initiated by the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the Base
Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action 13 Report
(Transfer Pricing Documentation and Country-by-
Country Reporting).
• The report contains aggregated country-by-country
information relating to the global allocation of income,
the taxes paid, and certain other indicators of a multi-
national company.
• It also contains a list of all the constituent entities of
the multi-national company operating in a particular
jurisdiction and the nature of the main business activ-
ity of each constituent entity.
Prelims Facts 
 lll
Base Erosion and Profit Shifting
ŠŠ BEPS refers to tax planning strategies that exploit
gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift
profits to low or no-tax locations where there is
little or no economic activity or to erode tax bases
through deductible payments such as interest or
royalties.
ŠŠ It is of major significance for developing countries
due to their heavy reliance on corporate income
tax, particularly from multinational enterprises.
Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement
ŠŠ It is a multilateral framework agreement under
OECD / G20 BEPS Project.
ŠŠ It provides a mechanism to facilitate the automatic
exchange of information in accordance with the
Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial In-
formation in Tax Matters.

RBI Guidelines for Regulating Payment
Aggregators and Payment Gateways
On 17th March 2020, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
released guidelines for regulating the activitiesof Payment
Aggregators (PAs) and provide baseline technology-relat-
ed recommendations to Payment Gateways (PGs) in the
country.
• These guidelines issued under Section 18 read with
Section 10(2) of the Payment and Settlement Systems
Act, 2007aim to make digital payments more safer and
transparent and shall come into effect from April 1,
2020.
• PAs and PGs are intermediaries playing an important
function in facilitating payments in the online space.
Salient Features of the Guidelines
Applicability
• The guidelines shall be applicable to PAs. PAs shall
also adopt the technology-related recommendations.
• Domestic leg of import and export related payments
facilitated by PAs shall also be governed by these in-
structions.
• Guidelines are not applicable to Cash on Delivery
(CoD) e-commerce model.
Authorisation
• The criteria of authorisation has been arrived at based
on the role of the intermediary in handling of funds.
• Banks, which provide payments aggregation services
as part of their regular banking relationship, do not re-
quire a separate authorisation from RBI.
• But non-bank payments aggregators will require au-
thorisation from RBI under the Payment and Settle-
ment Systems Act(PSSA), 2007.
• E-commerce marketplaces,providing payment ag-
gregator services will have to be separated from the
marketplace business and they will have to apply for
authorisation on or before June 30, 2021.
• The biggest examples of this- PhonePe, a Flipkart com-
pany, and Paytm’s payment aggregator business are al-
ready separate entities from the marketplace models.
Capital Requirements
• Existing PAs shall achieve a net-worth of 15 crore by
March 31,2021 and a net-worth of 25 crore by the end
of third financial year, i.e., on or before March 31,2023.
• New PAs shall have a minimum net-worth of 15 crore
at the time of application for authorization and shall at-
tain a net-worth of 25 crore by the end of third financial
year of grant of authorisation.
Governance
• PAs shall have a Board approved policy for disposal of
complaints / dispute resolution mechanism / time-lines
ECONOMY WATCH
for processing refunds, etc., in such a manner that the
RBI instructions on Turn Around Time (TAT) for reso-
lution of failed transactions.
Settlement and Escrow Account Management
• Non-bank PAs shall maintain the amount collected by
them in an escrow account with any scheduled com-
mercial bank.
• For the purpose of maintenance of the escrow account,
the operations of PAs shall be deemed to be ‘designat-
ed payment systems’ under Section 23A of the PSSA
(as amended in 2015).
Customer Grievance Redressal and Dispute Man-
agement Framework
• PAs shall put in place a formal, publicly disclosed cus-
tomer grievance redressal and dispute management
framework, including designating a nodal officer to
handle the customer complaints / grievances and the
escalation matrix.
Security, Fraud Prevention and Risk Management
Framework
• A strong risk management system is necessary to meet
the challenges of fraud and ensure customer protec-
tion. PAs shall put in place adequate information and
data security infrastructure and systems for prevention
and detection of frauds.
Background
• The RBI released a discussion paper in September,
2019 to regulate these entities.
• The paper suggested three ways to look at the issue- no
regulation, light touch regulation or full regulation,
the final guidelines seem to have favoured the third al-
ternative.
• It is to be noted that banks are already regulated enti-
ties of RBI, the payment gateway services provided by
them need not require a separate authorisation as these
activities form part of regular banking business.
Need for Regulation
• Potential Source of Risk: The activities of payment
gateways and payment aggregators in online transac-
tions are extremely crucial and the payment gateway
ecosystem for online transactions could be a source of
risk if operators have lax governance practices.This in
turn could impact the confidence and experience of the
customers.
• Lack of Redressal Mechanism: Further, the lack of
proper redress mechanism and uniformity in practice
across the entities is also a matter of concern.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 29
CURRENT AFFARIS

Prelims Facts 
 
 
lll
Payment Aggregators
ŠŠ PAs are entities that facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept various payment instruments
from the customers for completion of their payment obligations without the need for merchants to create a
separate payment integration system of their own. For ex. Billdesk, CCAvenue, Firstdata, Techprocess
Razorpay
ŠŠ PAs facilitate merchants to connect with acquirers. In the process, they receive payments from custom-
ers, pool and transfer them on to the merchants after a time period.
Payment Gateways
ŠŠ PGs are entities that provide technology infrastructure to route and facilitate processing of an online
payment transactionwithout any involvement in handling of funds. PGs in India mainly include banks.

Significance of the Guidelines
Bringing Transparency and Accountability
• PGs are regulated through banks, which creates
opaqueness in the system. Regulations will help elimi-
nating opaqueness and make things clearer for the
entire industry in terms of capital requirement, gov-
ernance and KYC norms for example.
• PGs such as Paytm, Mobikwik, Bharat Bill and ag-
gregators like BillDesk, PayU India, CCAvenue, Ra-
zorpay now will be directly regulated by the RBI to
bring more transparency, accountability and security
for consumers.
Driving Towards Less Cash Society
• Industry would continue to work with RBI closely for
smoother transition of industry players from indirectly
regulated to directly regulated and help to achieve the
overall vision of less cash society.

Multiple Mega Food Parks and Integrated Cold Chain

Projects Sanctioned under PMKSY

On 18th March, 2020, the Ministry of Food Processing
Industries (MoFPI) sanctioned 37 mega food parks and
298 integrated cold chain projects throughout the coun-
try to fill in the gaps across the value chain and establish-
ing the cold chain grid.
• The MoFPI is focusing on building cold chain infra-
structure across the country, for seamless transfer of
perishables from production to consumption through
the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana
• The Central Sector Scheme - SAMPADA (Scheme
for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of
Agro-Processing Clusters) was approved by the cabi-
net in May 2017 for the period of 2016-20 coterminous
with the 14th Finance Commission cycle.
• In 2017, SAMPADA was renamed as the Pradhan
Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY).
• It focuses on the reduction of agricultural waste, mod-
ernizes the procedure of processed food products, and
supplement agriculture.
Components of PMKSY
• Mega Food Parks
• Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastruc-
ture
• Creation/ Expansion of Food Processing/ Preservation
Capacities (Unit Scheme)
• Infrastructure for Agro-processing Clusters
• Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages
• Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure
• Human Resources and Institutions
• Operation Greens
Benefits
• It is a comprehensive package which will result in cre-
ation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply
chain management from farm gate to retail outlet.
• It will provide a big boost to the growth of food pro-
cessing sector in the country.
• It will help in providing better prices to farmers and
is a big step towards doubling of farmer’s income.
• It will create huge employment opportunities espe-
cially in the rural areas.
• It will also help in reducing wastage of agricultural
produce, increasing the processing level, availability
of safe and convenient processed foods at affordable
price to consumers and enhancing the export of the
processed foods.
Mega Food Park Scheme-MFPS
• MFPS is the flagship program of the Ministry of Food

30 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020

 ECONOMY WATCH
Processing Industries which proposes a demand driv- lenge in setting up food parks lies in land acquisition.
en/pre-marketed model with strong backward/for- Most of the projects have failed to take off mainly be-
ward linkages and sustainable supply chain. cause of the bottlenecks involved in land acquisition.
• It is based on “Cluster” approach and envisages crea-
Financial Issues
tion of state of art support infrastructure in a well-de-
• Financial issues are found to be one of major reasons
fined agri-horticultural zone for setting up of modern
for incomplete Mega Food Park projects.
food processing units with well-established supply
• One of the main reasons has been the failure of the
chain.
promoters in raising finance for the MFPs as they
• It is implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
have difficulties in convincing the banks about the new
which is a Body Corporate registered under the Com-
concept and hence failed to secure loans required for
panies Act.
mounting the projects.
Advantages • The other challenge is the inability to attract the right
• Modern infrastructure for food processing at the park set of tenants, basically, manufacturers and ancillary
would benefit the farmers, growers, processors and players, who can come forward and set up base in a
consumers immensely and prove to be a big boost to food park.
the growth of the food processing sector in the coun- Governance Issues
try.
• Often, projects get delayed due to non-approvals and
• Benefit to local population through full/partial direct
in coordination with various state agencies.
and indirect employment generation.
• For examples, it took both Jharkhand Mega Food Park
• New employment opportunities within rural areas
Private Limited and India Mega Food Park Private
which will reduce rural-urban migration, unplanned
Limited, 36 months to get permission for sub-leasing
urbanisation, slums/social problems in cities.
of land and Satara Mega Food Park Private Limited
• Provide efficient supply chain management from
(Maharashtra) and International Mega Food Park Lim-
farm gate to retail outlet.
ited reported facing issues in getting environmental
• Eliminate or reduce the layers of the middle-men,
clearance from the state.
training and technology transfer.
• Even though single window facility exists in almost
• Farmers can utilise the cold storages, ripening cham-
all states, yet they failed to provide timely and holis-
bers, and warehouses. So, less wastage of products
tic clearances.
and no distress sales, leading to higher income.
• For example, Integrated Food Park Private Limited
• Benefit to Industry by helping in value addition by
(Karnataka) had to approach multiple departments
providing modern common infrastructure facilities,
to get respective approvals and clearances in-spite of
induction of advanced technology and exporting op-
presence of fast track single window clearance agency.
portunities.
• Benefit to traders through increase in product range Way Forward
and better quality and to consumers through availabil- • The announcement of mega food parks and integrated
ity of better products at lesser price. cold chains is an opportunity to improve the farm to
fork ecosystem and must be made a success by miti-
Issues with Mega Food Parks
gating the systemic challenges like land acquisitions
Land Acquisition Issues issues, credit-facility etc on a war footing. nn
• Like most other infrastructure projects, the key chal-

CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 31

CURRENT AFFARIS
WORLD WATCH
India and its Neighbours
• India’s Ban on OCI Sparks Panic
World Issues
• ‘Unanimous’ ICC Gives Go-ahead to Probe Afghanistan
Alleged War Crimes
Organizations
• India Accepted as Observer in Indian Ocean Commis-
sion
• Crude Oil Price-War Unleashed
• G20 Nations to Inject $5 trillion to Combat COVID-19
• IMF: Recession Due to COVID-19 to be Worse than 2009
News Bytes
• India Falls steeply on Freedom index
• Parliament Passes Amendment Allowing Putin to Stay
in Power
• Employment-based Backlog to Double by 2030
• Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal Becomes a Sore Point
• India-Japan Sign Rail Project
• India Ranks 144 in World Happiness Report
• India-European Union Flagship Call Announced on Inte-
grated Local Energy Systems
• US Defence Production Act Invoked to Lift Up Ventilator
Production
• India to Provide Financial Assistance for Building
Schools in Nepal
In Focus
• Revival of SAARC
Integrated Project for Source Sustainability
and Climate Resilient Rain-Fed Agriculture in
Himachal Pradesh
The Government of India, Government of Himachal
Pradesh and the World Bank signed a US$80 million loan
agreement to improve water management practices and in-
crease agricultural productivity in selected Gram Panchay-
ats (Village Councils) in Himachal Pradesh, a mountain
state richly endowed with natural resources.
Key Features
• The Integrated Project for Source Sustainability and
Climate Resilient Rain-Fed Agriculture in Himachal
Pradesh will be implemented in 428 Gram Panchayats
in 10 districts benefiting over 400,000 smallholder farm-
ers, women and pastoral communities.
• The project will improve upstream water sources in for-
32 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
PIB CORNER
ests, pastures and grasslands and ensure sufficient water
is available for sustainable agriculture both in Himachal
Pradesh and in downstream states.
• The investment in downstream areas will augment the
use of irrigation and help farmers shift from low-value
cereal production to climate-resilient crop varieties and
to higher-value fruit and vegetable production.
• The US$80 million loan from the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a final ma-
turity of 14.5 years including a grace period of five years.
Myanmar President’s Visit Marked by Signing of
10 Agreements
India and Myanmar signed 10 agreements, including
four aimed at boosting development of Rakhine state to fa-
cilitate the return of Rohingya refugees, during President U
Win Myint’s visit to the country.
Key Features
• The two sides also announced the launch of a bus service
between Imphal in Manipur and Mandalay in Myanmar
from April 7 as part of efforts to improve connectiv-
ity and people-to-people contacts. Private operators on
both sides have signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) to launch the service.
• Among the agreements, four MoUs are specific to Ra-
khine state and cover the construction of facilities such
as an incinerator, seed storage houses and water supply
systems, solar power systems for five townships, and con-
struction of two roads and preschools.
• Other MoUs cover cooperation in petroleum products,
communications, and conservation of tigers and other
wildlife.
Female Labour-force Participation in India Drops
to 24.8% in 2020
According to the United Nations Global Compact
(UNGC) India study, India is the only country among the 153
surveyed countries where the economic gender gap is larger
than the political gap.
Key Features
• The study found that the female labour-force participa-
tion in India has declined from 34% in 2006 to 24.8% in
2020 and said that raising women’s participation in the
labour force to the same level as men can boost India’s
GDP by 27%.
• Gender stereotypes and lack of infrastructure has tradi-
tionally sidelined women from core manufacturing func-
tions. As a result, not many are able to reach leadership
roles.
• Companies need to ensure policies and procedures are
made to adapt to various life changes in their employees,
including maternity, changing care needs, dual career
couples and continuity
• Globally, 38.7% of employed women are working in ag-
riculture, forestry and fisheries, but only 13.8% of land-
holders are women.
• According to the study, it is the need of the hour that pub-
lic policy and corporate policies incorporate various gen-
der related barriers in India to ensure effective solutions.

India and its Neighbours
India’s Ban on OCI Sparks Panic
Thousands of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card-
holders have been forced to cancel trips to India owing
to the recent ban on their entry by the GOI and are ap-
prehensive they will not be able to get back in the event of
an emergency. Dozens managed to get last minute-flights
before the ban on visa-free entry to OCI cardholders came
into effect.
OCI Card holders
• The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is an immi-
gration status permitting a foreign citizen of Indian
origin to live and work in the Republic of India indefi-
nitely.
• The OCI was introduced in response to demands for
dual citizenship by the Indian diaspora, particularly in
developed countries.
• It was introduced by The Citizenship (Amendment)
Act, 2005 in August 2005. It was launched during the
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention held in Hyderabad
in late 2005.
World Issues
‘Unanimous’ ICC Gives Go-ahead
to Probe Afghanistan Alleged War
Crimes
Prosecutors have been given the green light to inves-
tigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in
Afghanistan - and beyond its borders – linked to Afghan,
Taliban and US troops.
Key Features
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) overturned an
appeal on a previous decision to block the investiga-
tion.
WORLD WATCH
• The actions of the Taliban, the Afghan government and
US troops since May 2003 are expected to be exam-
ined.
• It comes just days after the United States signed a his-
toric peace deal on Afghanistan.
• The deal was signed with the Taliban after more than
18 years of conflict.
• The US is not a signatory of the ICC and does not rec-
ognise its authority over American citizens.
• Afghanistan is a member of the court but officials there
have also expressed opposition to the inquiry.
• In April 2019 a pre-trial chamber at the ICC ruled that
the investigation should not go ahead because it would
not “serve the interests of justice”.
Prelims Facts   
lll
International Criminal Court
ŠŠ The International Criminal Court is an intergovern-
mental organization and international tribunal that
sits in The Hague, Netherlands.
ŠŠ It has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the
international crimes of genocide, crimes against
humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
ŠŠ It is intended to complement existing national judi-
cial systems and it may therefore exercise its juris-
diction only when certain conditions are met, such
as when national courts are unwilling or unable to
prosecute criminals or when the United Nations
Security Council or individual states refer situa-
tions to the Court.
ŠŠ The ICC began functioning on 1 July 2002, the
date that the Rome Statute entered into force.
ŠŠ The Rome Statute is a multilateral treaty that
serves as the ICC’s foundational and govern-
ing document. States which become party to the
Rome Statute become member states of the ICC.
ŠŠ As of November 2019, there are 123 ICC mem-
ber states. 42 states are non-party, non-signatory
states.
ŠŠ The ICC has four principal organs: the Presidency,
the Judicial Divisions, the Office of the Prosecutor,
and the Registry. The President is the most senior
judge chosen by his or her peers in the Judicial
Division, which hears cases before the Court.
Organizations
India Accepted as Observer in Indian
Ocean Commission
India was accepted as an observer in the Indian Ocean
Commission , getting a seat at the table of the organization
that handles maritime governance in the western Indian
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 33
CURRENT AFFARIS
Ocean. India’s entry is a consequence of its deepening
strategic partnership with France as well as its expanding
ties with the Vanilla Islands.
Key Features
• India had made the application to be an observer last
month.
• The Commission has four observers — China, EU,
Malta and International Organisation of La Fran-
cophonie (OIF).
• The Indian Ocean Commission consists of Comoros,
Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (French overseas ter-
ritory) and Seychelles.
Significance
• India’s observer status in IOC is significant as it insti-
tutionalises a larger engagement in the south-western
Indian ocean which has increased in the last couple of
years.
• The five-member grouping is important given India’s
plans to expand in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO)
which strategically connects the Indian Ocean to the
Southeastern coast of Africa and beyond. These island
nations are increasingly important for India’s strategic
outreach as part of its Indo-Pacific policy.
• This move would enhance ties with France which is the
strong global power in the western Indian Ocean.
• It lends depth to India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth
for All in the Region) policy.
• Earlier in 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs got
a new Indo-Pacific division to reflect the priority giv-
en to the region and bring about a sense of coherence
within its various regions. The division also looked af-
ter the multilateral linkages in the region and would
likely look after the enhanced IOC portfolio.
34 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Prelims Facts 
 lll
Indian Ocean Commission
ŠŠ The Indian Ocean Commission is an intergov-
ernmental organization that links African Indian
Ocean nations: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Réunion (an overseas region of France), and Sey-
chelles.
ŠŠ There are also five observers: China, India, Malta,
the European Union and the Organisation interna-
tionale de la Francophonie.
ŠŠ The commission was created in 1982 in Port-Louis,
Mauritius, and institutionalised in 1984. The secre-
tariat is based in Mauritius. The current secretary-
general is Hamada Madi.
Objectives
ŠŠ It works on four pillars which were adopted in 2005
by the Summit of Heads of States:
1. Political and diplomatic cooperation,
2. Economic and commercial cooperation
3. Sustainable development in a globalisation con-
text, cooperation in the field of agriculture, mari-
time fishing, and the conservation of resources
and ecosystems
4. Strengthening of the regional cultural identity,
cooperation in cultural, scientific, technical, edu-
cational and judicial fields.
Crude Oil Price-War Unleashed
In a major single-day crash, oil benchmark Brent
crude fell 31% after the world’s biggest oil exporter Saudi
Arabia launched an oil price war with Russia, by slashing
prices and preparing for a big increase in crude production
in April.
Key Features
• This came days after Organisation of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) & its allies failed to
reach an agreement on production cuts, in a move to
stabilise oil markets amid fall in oil demand due to the
Corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak.
• Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing to increase its
crude production above 10 million barrels per day
(bpd) in April, after the current deal to curb produc-
tion expired at the end of March.
• Also, the accelerating coronavirus outbreak which has
sapped oil demand had already hammered down crude
oil prices this year.
• Adding to the pain, Russia’s disapproval to deepen oil
output cuts and Saudi Arabia plans to flood the markets
with oil, triggering an all-out price war, has led to a
carnage in oil prices.
Impact on the Indian Economy
• The sudden drop in crude prices will be highly ben-

eficial for India that imports about 83% of its oil re-
quirements, with nearly 60% of them imported from
the Middle East.
• Since India is one of the largest importers of crude
oil, it is estimated that the savings on oil imports to
be around $30 billion in FY21 if there is no significant
uptick in global demand. This will also arrest rising in-
flation and facilitate the next round of rate cuts by RBI.
• Retail prices of gasoline and diesel may fall sharply
over the next few weeks as oil companies cut retail
prices to pass on the decline in crude oil prices.
• Oil price cut by Saudi Arabia will have a beneficial im-
pact on companies from Tyre, synthetic fibre produc-
ers and industries like paints, producers of lubricants,
transformer oils, plastic products, soaps and deter-
gents, that depend on crude oil prices as their primary
raw material.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries
ŠŠ The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad, Iraq,
with the signing of an agreement in September
1960 by five countries namely Islamic Republic of
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela as
the Founder Members.
ŠŠ At present OPEC comprises of 13 oil-producing
countries namely Algeria, Angola, Congo, Equa-
torial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya,
Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and
Venezuela.
ŠŠ Its secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria.
ŠŠ OPEC members hold 82% of the world’s proven oil
reserves.
ŠŠ OPEC’s decisions have a significant impact on fu-
ture oil prices.
ŠŠ The Oil and Energy Ministers from the OPEC mem-
bers meet at least twice a year to coordinate their
oil production policies.
ŠŠ Each member country abides by an honour sys-
tem in which everyone agrees to produce a certain
amount. If a nation winds up producing more, there
is no sanction or penalty.
ŠŠ Each country is responsible for reporting its own
production.
OPEC’s Three Goals
ŠŠ Its first goal is to keep prices stable. It wants to
make sure its members get a reasonable price for
their oil.
ŠŠ Its second goal is to reduce oil price volatility. For
maximum efficiency, oil extraction must run 24
hours a day, seven days a week.
ŠŠ It third goal is to adjust the world’s oil supply in re-
sponse to shortages.
WORLD WATCH
Outlook in Near Term
• Amid heightened worries over the virus outbreak,
most analysts have concluded that the demand for oil is
likely to be gloomy.
• With the current demand decline for oil, crude prices
are expected to remain low until OPEC+ resets oil
production again amid mounting fears of a coronavi-
rus-led economic slowdown.
• OPEC+ refers to the alliance of crude producers, who
have been undertaking corrections in supply in the
oil markets since 2017. Its member countries include
Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia,
Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.
• The Alliance was formed by the the Opec and non-
Opec producers in Algiers in 2016 with the aim  to
undertake production restrictions to help resuscitate a
flailing market.
G20 Nations to Inject $5 trillion to
Combat COVID-19
The G20 nations have agreed to collectively inject $5
trillion into the world economy to counteract the social,
economic and financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
that has infected close to 5 lakh people across countries
and claimed more than 22,000 lives.
Highlights of the Conference
• Prime Minister of India in a video-conference of G20
Prelims Facts 
lll
G20
ŠŠ The Group of 20 is an organization of finance min-
isters and central bank governors from 19 individu-
al countries and the European Union.
ŠŠ In addition to the United States, other countries are
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Chi-
na, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ja-
pan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
South Korea and Turkey.
ŠŠ Collectively, its members represent more than 80
percent of the world’s gross domestic product.
ŠŠ Established in 1999 after a series of major interna-
tional debt crises, the G20 aims to unite world lead-
ers around shared economic, political and health
challenges.
ŠŠ It is a creation of the more select Group of 7 (G7),
an informal bloc of industrialized democracies.
ŠŠ G20 summit meetings focus on several core issues
around which its leaders hope to reach a consen-
sus for collective action.
ŠŠ The goal is to conclude the two-day gathering by
issuing a joint statement committing its members
to action, although the declaration is not legally
binding.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 35
CURRENT AFFARIS
economies held recently stressed on a new concept of
globalisation that focuses on humanity and collective
welfare rather than individual interest.
• Leaders from all participating countries agreed to
make collaborative effort to develop therapeutic solu-
tions like vaccines, make diagnostics more effective
and make testing kits and other equipment more freely
available, especially to countries that lack resources.
• The nations also pledged to ensure flow of medical
supplies and critical agricultural products across bor-
ders and work together to facilitate international trade.
• There was full support for strengthening the WHO’s
mandate to fight the pandemic and the members agreed
to provide resources to poorer countries and come up
with a COVID Solidarity Response Fund.
IMF: Recession Due to COVID-19 to
be Worse than 2009
The world is in the face of a devastating impact due
to the coronavirus pandemic and has clearly entered a re-
cession, the International Monetary Fund, but projected a
recovery next year.
Key Features
• IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva called on advanced
economies to provide more support to low-income
countries, which face a massive outflow of capital.
• IMF warned finance ministers from the Group of 20
nations that the outlook for 2020 is negative -- a reces-
sion at least as bad as during the global financial crisis
or worse.
• The global economy contracted by 0.6 percent in 2009
as a result of the 2008 global financial crisis, but ma-
jor emerging markets like China and India at the time
were growing at a rapid rate.
• In contrast, the coronavirus pandemic is causing
worldwide economic and human carnage, and some
forecasters now say the downturn could be 1.5 percent.
Impact of Coronavirus on Indian Economy
• According to the rating agencies, even though the
country may not slip into a recession, unlike the Euro-
zone, the US, or Asia-Pacific that have stronger trade
ties to China. But analysts believe the impact on In-
dia’s GDP growth will be significant.
• In India, GDP growth is already at a decadal low and
any further dent in economic output will bring more
pain to workers who have seen their wages erode in
recent times.
• Domestic ratings agency Crisil slashed the GDP
growth forecast for India in financial year 2021 from
5.7% to 5.2%. It warned that there are further down-
side risks if the pandemic is not contained by April-
June 2020, or if it spreads rapidly in India, affecting
domestic consumption and investment.
36 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Prelims Facts   
lll
International Monetary Fund
ŠŠ The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an orga-
nization of 189 countries, working to foster global
monetary cooperation, secure financial stability,
facilitate international trade, promote high employ-
ment and sustainable economic growth, and re-
duce poverty around the world.
ŠŠ Created in 1945, the IMF is headquartered in
Washington D.C., USA.
ŠŠ The IMF’s primary purpose is to ensure the stability
of the international monetary system—the system
of exchange rates and international payments that
enables countries (and their citizens) to transact
with each other.
ŠŠ The Fund’s mandate was updated in 2012 to in-
clude all macroeconomic and financial sector is-
sues that bear on global stability.
News Bytes
India Falls steeply on Freedom index
India’s record has shown a massive decline among
world’s 25 largest democracies in the new report by Free-
dom House, the oldest American organisation dedicated to
the support and defence of democracy around the world.
Key Features
• India has ranked 83rd in the ‘Freedom in the World
2020’ report along with Timor-Leste and Senegal.
• America based Freedom House has placed India
among “countries in the spotlight’’ along with Haiti,
Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, Hong Kong and
Ukraine.
• This category shows a list of the countries where im-
portant developments have affected their democratic
nature and deserve special observation in 2020.
• According to the report , there are three reasons behind
this steep fall: Abrogation of article 370, which gave
a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and
Kashmir, the implementation of the National Register
of Citizens(NRC) in Assam and the implementation of
the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Parliament Passes Amendment
Allowing Putin to Stay in Power
Constitutional changes allowing Vladimir Putin to
run for President again in 2024 sailed through Russia’s
lower house of Parliament, opening the way for him to po-
tentially stay in power until 2036.
Key Features
• Putin, a former KGB officer, is currently required by

the Constitution to step down in 2024 when his second
sequential and fourth presidential term ends. But the
amendment would formally reset his presidential term
tally to zero.
• The 450-seat State Duma, the lower house of the Par-
liament, voted in favour of the change, along with other
amendments to the Constitution.
• If the constitutional court now gives its blessing to the
amendment and it is backed in a nationwide vote on
April 22, Mr. Putin would have the option to run again
for President in 2024.
Employment-based Backlog to
Double by 2030
According to a latest US Congressional report, em-
ployment-based backlog for legal permanent US residency
is expected to double by 2030 and Indians will have to wait
for decades for the coveted Green Card. A Green Card al-
lows a non-US citizen to live and work permanently in
America.
Key Features
• Indian IT professionals, most of whom are highly
skilled and come to the US mainly on the H-1B work
visas, are the worst sufferers of the current immigra-
tion system which imposes a seven per cent per coun-
try quota on allotment of the Green Card.
• The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report said
that the time frame would reduce a bit if the per coun-
try cap on its allocation is removed by the Congress.
• The back log exists because the number of foreign
workers whom US employers sponsor for Green Cards
each year exceeds the annual statutory Green Card al-
location. In addition to this numerical limit, a statu-
tory seven per cent per-country ceiling prevents the
monopolisation of employment-based Green Cards by
a few countries.
• For nationals from large migrant-sending countries
— India and China — the numerical limit and per-
country ceiling have created inordinately long waits
for employment-based green cards.
• The backlog can impose significant hardship on these
prospective immigrants, many of whom already reside
in the United States.
• It can also disadvantage US employers, relative to oth-
er countries’ employers, for attracting highly trained
workers.
• The bill would phase out the per country ceiling over
three years and reserve green cards for certain foreign
workers, but it would not increase the current limit of
120,120 Green Cards for the three employment-based
immigration categories.
WORLD WATCH
Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal
Becomes a Sore Point
Environmental organisations from across central and
eastern Europe have criticised a major project intending to
link three rivers and provide seamless navigation between
three of Europe’s peripheral seas.
Key Features
• The Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal intends to connect the
Danube, Oder and Elbe rivers and thus provide another
navigable link from the Black Sea to the North and
Baltic Seas.
• However, environmental organisations from Germany,
Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria,
wrote a joint letter to the European Union’s Commis-
sioners for Environment, calling for the project to be
halted.
• The bodies said the project, if constructed, would de-
stroy the region’s river landscapes, in violation of EU
environmental laws.
• They called on the European Commission to ensure
that the project be excluded from EU funding, and not
be included as part of the Trans-European Transport
Network.
India-Japan Sign Rail Project
The Japanese government funding agency JICA has
signed agreements totalling Rs 15,295 crore with the Indi-
an government for three mega rail infrastructure projects.
Key Features
• Under these agreements, JICA has granted Rs. 8,553
crore for phase-1 of the Dedicated Freight Corridor; Rs
4,262 crore for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Project
(II) and Rs 2,480 crore for the Mumbai Metro Line 3
Project (III).
• Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project (Phase 1)
comes with the objective to cope up with the increase
in freight transport demand in India by constructing
new dedicated freight railway system between Delhi
and Mumbai.
• It will promote comprehensive regional economic de-
velopment along the freight corridor as the backbone
of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) de-
velopment plan.
• The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor runs between
Delhi and Mumbai and covers the areas where signifi-
cant commercial and industrial development is seen.
• The Western DFC project is an important part of the
Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) initiative,
which is part of the Japanese-Indian collaborative pro-
ject aimed at comprehensive regional development.
• Mass Rapid Transport systems also help in reducing
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 37
CURRENT AFFARIS
pollution caused by private vehicles and improving liv-
ing conditions.
• The project is scheduled to be completed by 2021.
India Ranks 144 in World
Happiness Report
The World Happiness Report 2020 has been released
by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and
Finland was once again crowned as the world’s happiest
country, extending its lead over Denmark and Switzerland.
Key Features
• The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of
the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries
by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be.
• The World Happiness Report 2020 for the first time
ranks cities around the world by their subjective well-
being and digs more deeply into how the social, urban
and natural environments combine to affect our hap-
piness.
• This year the World Happiness Report focuses espe-
cially on the environment- social, urban, and natural.
• Although the World Happiness Reports have been
based on a wide variety of data, the most important
source has always been the Gallup World Poll, which
is unique in the range and comparability of its global
series of annual surveys.
India-European Union Flagship Call
Announced on Integrated Local En-
ergy Systems
India-European Union Flagship Call on Integrated
Local Energy Systems was announced at India Smart Util-
ity Week 2020.
Key Features
• This partnership between Indian and European Un-
ion will help in Clean Energy and Climate and this
partnership will foresee strengthened cooperation in
energy research and innovation, mainly in renewable
energy and its integration in the energy system. The
collaboration can make energy supply cleaner, more
efficient and affordable to all.
• This Indo-EU flagship call is fully in line with both the
European Union’s and India’s involvement in Mission
Innovation (MI), a global initiative of 24 countries and
the European Commission (on behalf of the European
Union), committed to reinvigorate and accelerate glob-
al clean energy innovation with the objective to make
clean energy widely affordable.
38 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
• This Indo-EU Flagship call will give novel solutions
encompassing local integration across various energy
vectors and increase the share of renewables in the en-
ergy mix and high energy efficiency.
US Defence Production Act Invoked
to Lift Up Ventilator Production
US President invoked the Defence Production Act in
order to boost the production of ventilators as part of ef-
forts to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. The total num-
ber of infected patients in the US has now crossed 100,000
surpassing China.
Key Features
• The Defence Production Act, 1950 gives the Presi-
dent the power to mobilise domestic industry so that
the supply of essential materials and services is main-
tained for purposes of national defence.
• For instance, by invoking this Act the President can re-
quire persons, including businesses and corporations,
to undertake government contracts so that production
and supply are maintained.
• In the present situation, by invoking the Act, US gov-
ernment has mandated General Motors to manufacture
ventilators, considered crucial for those patients who
develop breathing difficulties as a result of COVID-19.
India to Provide Financial Assistance
for Building Schools in Nepal
Government of India will provide 107.01 million Ne-
pali Rupees for three new school buildings in Nepal. The
schools will be constructed in Darchula, Dhanusha and
Kapilvastu districts.
Key Features
• The Embassy of India and Nepal’s Ministry of Federal
Affairs and General Administration signed MoUs with
Mahakali Municipality, Darchula and Mukhiyapatti
Musharniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha in Kath-
mandu for the construction of two new school build-
ings.
• These schools will be built under the India-Nepal De-
velopment Partnership program at a total estimated
cost of 73.96 million Nepali Rupees.
• The Government of India will provide funds while
construction work, including a call for tender, the
award of work and day to day supervision, will be by
Mahakali Municipality, Dharchula and Mukhiyapatti
Musharniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha.
• The projects will be monitored at the federal level by
the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Adminis-
tration of Nepal and Embassy of India.

Revival of SAARC
The killer COVID-19 is prompting the reactivation
and revival of the South Asian Association of Regional
Cooperation (SAARC). Indian Prime Minister has taken a
bold and positive initiative to engage with his SAARC col-
leagues for working out a mutually-coordinated strategy to
deal with the impact of this pandemic.
Key Features
• A video-conference with SAARC leaders was held
amid rising cases of the disease in the region. The vid-
eo summit is significant because, since 2016, SAARC
has been mostly inactive.
• During the meet, India pledged $10 million toward a
COVID-19 Emergency Fund and said it was putting
together a rapid response team of doctors and special-
ists for SAARC nations as part of an initiative led by
Prime Minister of India
• While India’s offer was welcomed by all SAARC lead-
ers, Pakistan used the occasion to raise the Kashmir is-
sue, saying the lockdown there should be ended to help
fight the coronavirus outbreak. Islamabad also sought
to get China involved in the SAARC initiative.
• The Indian PM suggested that nodal experts of all SAARC
states meet in a week’s time by video-conference to take
forward the ideas exchanged at the discussion.
• India has set up an Integrated Disease Surveillance
Portal to better trace possible virus carriers and the
people they contacted.
• The PM offered to share this technology with SAARC
partners besides providing training on using it.
• Also, the existing facilities, such as the SAARC Dis-
aster Management Centre, could be used to pool best
practices and PM suggested a common platform to
coordinate research on controlling epidemics within
South Asia.
How India Can Revive SAARC?
• The South Asian Association for Regional Coopera-
tion is a regional grouping comprising of Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka.,
• The grouping has been lying dormant since 2014, when
its last summit was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was
done on account of Pakistan’s refusal to cooperate in
regional connectivity projects, and India’s refusal to
engage with Pakistan.
• India’s unstated message to its neighbours behind the
video-conference initiative was loud and clear — that
it will stand by them in coping with the spillover of
external disorders, even when such disorders are fatal
and come from the north.
• This is a reiteration of India’s prompt and decisive
support to the neighbours at the time of facing natural
disasters. India’s message is also for the world that it
WORLD WATCH
is willing and prepared, within its resources and capa-
bilities, to undertake responsibilities in preserving and
promoting the global common good.
• While the initiative underlines India’s commitment to
become a credible global player, it also seems to have
been prompted by the failure on two other counts, of
India’s neighbourhood first foreign policy, launched by
the PM with considerable enthusiasm and fanfare in
2014.
• And on the count of isolating Pakistan — for its re-
fusal to relent on the strategy of cross-border terror-
ism against India, which was a key factor in freezing
SAARC. However, Pakistan is nowhere near being
isolated by the international community. China stands
solidly with Pakistan. Saudi Arabia has endorsed the
Pakistani proposal to keep Kashmir on the agenda
of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). And,
above all, the United States (US) continues to work
with Pakistan on terrorism-related issues, in Afghani-
stan and elsewhere.
• Thus, Keeping SAARC in deep-freeze because of Pa-
kistan was not serving anybody’s interest.
Why Did India Decide to Activate SAARC
During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
• It is a good and timely initiative as COVID-19, the dis-
ease caused by the SARS-nCoV-2 virus, has created
widespread concerns in South Asian countries. These
countries are starting to suffer a widespread cessation
of economic activity due to fears of this deadly virus.
• India’s proposal now is a positive move towards smooth
South Asian integration. Such a grouping is a helpful
way for regional nations to show solidarity with coun-
tries that face disaster or crisis.
• Such integration is more effective when institutions
set powerful demonstrations by helping countries in
need. But now, such cooperation is under strain: coun-
tries in the European Union didn’t provide any medical
assistance to Italy initially, for instance.
• Similarly, another regional group, the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations,(ASEAN) also failed to come
up with an efficient coordinated response to contain
the spread of COVID-19.
• India’s move can be seen as a masterstroke to assert
India’s leadership in the South Asian region. India is
also pushing for more clout as the world’s largest de-
mocracy.
• India’s Citizenship Amendment Act is also creating un-
necessary tensions with its neighbours, which in the long
run may help China expand its influence in South Asian
countries. The reactivation of SAARC may also have
the effect of tamping down the misgivings spawned in
South Asian countries over the amendment act. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 39
CURRENT AFFARIS
SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY
Astronomy
• Milky Way’s Edge Discovered
• HD74423: The Star That Pulsates on One Side
• WASP-76 b: The Exoplanet Where It Rains Iron
Evolution
• Scientists Sequence Sturgeon Genome
Government Policy
• National Supercomputing Mission: Boosting India’s Su-
percomputing Capacity
Biology
• New Way to Block Human Papillomavirus Discovered
• Key Cellular Mechanism in Huntington Disease Discov-
ered
Quantum Technology
• Towards an Era of Quantum Internet
News Bytes
• Building a Comprehensive Human Single-cell Atlas
• Ikaria wariootia: The Ancestor of All Animals
• ICONSAT- 2020
• DAC Approves Procurement of Tejas Mk1A for Indian Air
Force
• MACS 4028: Biofortified Wheat Variety
In Focus
• NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission
First Made-in-India COVID-19 Test Kit
• Pune based biotechnology firm Mylab Discovery Solu-
tions Pvt. Ltd. is the first Indian entity to get govern-
ment approval for commercial manufacturing of their
COVID-19 testing kit.
• The product is named Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19
Qualitative PCR kit.
• The COVID-19 test is based on reverse transcription-
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) which allows for
detection even in the early stages of infection.
• With the government’s emphasis on ‘Make in India’,
Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council
(BIRAC) supported the company.
• The kit was developed and evaluated in a record time
40 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
PIB CORNER
of six weeks and costs nearly one-fourth of the currently
procured kits. It can detect infection in 2.5 hours.
DST ’s COVID-19 Task Force to Map Technologies
• The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has
set up a COVID 19 Task Force for mapping of technolo-
gies from R&D labs, academic institutions, startups, and
MSMEs to scout for and fund nearly market-ready solu-
tions in the area of diagnostics, testing, health care deliv-
ery, and equipment sup-plies.
• These solutions include personal protective equipment
(PPE), affordable kits for screening, ventilators and oxy-
genators, data analytics for tracking, monitoring, and
controlling the spread of outbreak through AI and IoT
based solutions.
• The Task Force is to identify the most promising startups
and help them rapidly scale up.
• To this end, DST has invited two separate sets of pro-
posals, one each under Science & Engineering Research
Board (SERB) and Technology Development Board
(TDB), to support scientific solutions and commercial
manufacturing of both new and existing solutions.
CSIR-IHBT Develops Natural Hand Sanitizer
• A team of scientists from CSIR-Institute of Himalayan
Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) based in Palam-
pur, Himachal Pradesh, has developed a new hand sani-
tizer.
• The sanitizer has been made using natural flavours, ac-
tive tea constituents and alcohol as per the guidelines of
the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Chemicals like parabens, triclosan, synthetic fragrance
and phthalates have not been used in the product.
• The technology has been transferred to a Palampur based
company for commercial production and marketing in all
major cities across the country.
IIT-Mandi to Establish Technology Innovation
Hub
• Under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-
Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), the Department of Science
and Technology (DST) has sanctioned Rs 7.25 crore to
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi to estab-
lish a Technology Innovation Hub (TIH).
• The TIH will focus primarily on human-computer inter-
action (HCI) research with emphasis on design and devel-
opment of technology interfaces and the study of interac-
tion between humans and computers.
• The hub will work towards developing a technology in-
terface for challenges in the areas of cybersecurity, de-
fence, healthcare, forensics, landslides, environment, air
pollution, and agriculture.
• TIH will also work on the development and evaluation of
interfaces of IoT-based Cyber-Physical Sys-tems (CPS).
• It will collaborate with other leading institutions and
work in the areas of skill development and entrepreneur-
ship.

Astronomy
Milky Way’s Edge Discovered
An international team of astrophysicists from Durham
University in the UK has made an important discovery
with regard to the diameter of Milky Way, the galaxy that
houses our solar system.
Milky Way’s Edge
• It has been known for long that Milky Way has a
brighter part which is a pancake-shaped disk of stars
that includes the sun. Beyond this stellar disk, there
exists a disc of gas. A halo of dark matter envelopes
both the disks and stretches far beyond them. But it
becomes hard to measure the edge as the dark matter
emits no light.
• In the current research, the team conducted high-reso-
lution cosmological simulations of the dark matter ha-
loes of Milky Way-mass galaxies, both in isolation and
in combinations, particularly that of Milky way and
M31, also known as the Andromeda galaxy. Both these
galaxies are 2.5 million light-years apart, a distance
that makes possible gravitational interaction among
the two.
• After the simulations, Milky Way’s dark matter halo
was modelled, taking into consideration radial velocity
and density, in an effort to determine the edge of the
dark matter halo.
• It was observed that beyond the dark matter halo,
the radial velocity of objects such as dwarf galaxies
dropped noticeably. Observations from telescopes
were also considered.
• These crucial insights were compared with a database
of previous observations of dwarf galaxies around the
Milky Way in the Local Group- a small group of gal-
axies about 9.8 million light-years across.
• The final observations led them to the conclusion that
radial distance between the centre and the boundary of
Milky Way was about 950,000 light-years; therefore,
the diameter is about 1.9 million light-years, more than
15 times wider than its luminous spiral disk.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Dark Matter: It is the non-luminous material that is
postulated to exist in space. Unlike normal matter, it
does not interact with electromagnetic force. It does
not absorb, reflect or emit light, making it extremely
hard to spot. Researchers have only been able to in-
fer the existence of dark matter from the gravitational
effect it seems to have on visible matter.
Significance
• The current finding is significant as it provides a ro-
bust platform for a more accurate measurement of the
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
edge of the Milky Way and nearby Milky Way-mass
galaxies. It will help astronomers refine the location of
Milky Way.
• It will also help astronomers study other galactic prop-
erties.
• Astronomers can precisely search for individual stars
at the boundary of Milky Way.
HD74423: The Star That
Pulsates on One Side
Teams of astronomers from Sydney Institute for As-
tronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre in
Poland and some other institutes, acting on clues from citi-
zen scientists, discovered a binary star in the Milky Way
galaxy that pulsates on only one side- the first such stellar
object to be identified.
HD74423
• The star, named HD74423, was discovered using NA-
SA’s TESS Explorer satellite data which is hunting for
planets around distant stars.
• It is about 1.7 times the mass of the Sun and is located
1500 light years from the Earth.
• The rhythmic pulsation of the stellar surface is a
known fact of astronomy; it occurs for various dura-
tions and due to various causes. But the oscillation in
all such stars is always visible from all sides. HD74423
differs in that it oscillates largely over one hemisphere.
• This single-sided pulsation, according to the astrono-
mers, happens because the star is located in a binary
star system with a red dwarf. Its close companion star
distorts the oscillations with its gravitational pull. The
orbital period of the binary system, at less than two
days, is so short that the larger star is being distorted
into a tear-drop shape by the gravitational pull of the
companion.
• As the binary stars orbit each other, different parts of
the pulsating star can be seen. Sometimes the side that
points towards the companion star is visible, whereas
sometimes, the outer face is visible. This led the as-
tronomers to conclude that only one side of the star is
pulsating.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Binary Stars: These are two stars orbiting a com-
mon centre of mass, i.e. they are gravitationally
bound to each other. The brighter star is classified
as the primary star, while the dimmer star is known
as the secondary star. Most of the stars are in binary
systems. The orbital periods and distances of bina-
ries vary enormously.
Red Dwarf Star: Also known as M-Dwarf in as-
tronomy, these are the smallest, most abundant and
longest-lived stars in our galaxy.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 41
CURRENT AFFARIS
• Being the first star to be discovered where only one
side is pulsating, the finding holds promise of improv-
ing our understanding of the binary stars.
WASP-76 b: The Exoplanet
Where It Rains Iron
An international team of researchers, led by Universi-
ty of Geneva in Switzerland, has observed WASP-76b- an
extreme exoplanet where it rains iron.
Key Observations
• Using the ESPRESSO instrument on the Very Large
Telescope (VLT) of European Southern Observatory
(ESO), the team observed WASP-76b which is located
about 640 light-years away in the constellation Pisces.
It is a gas giant, like Jupiter and Saturn.
• Like the Moon on its orbit around the Earth, the ultra-
hot giant exoplanet is ‘tidally locked’, that is, it takes as
long to rotate around its axis as it does to go around the
star. Therefore, it always shows one face, its day side,
to its parent star. The cooler night side permanently
remains dark.
• On its day side, the temperature is above 2400 degrees
Celsius which leads to molecules separating into at-
oms, and metals like iron evaporating into the atmos-
phere. The planet’s rotation and vigorous winds (at-
mospheric winds caused due to extreme temperature
difference between the day and night sides) carry iron
vapours to the cooler night side (with a temperature of
about 1500 degrees Celsius) where it condenses into
iron droplets.
• The observations indicate that iron vapour is abundant
in the atmosphere of the hot day side.
Prelims Facts 
lll
European Southern Observatory (ESO): Head-
quartered near Munich, Germany, it is an intergov-
ernmental organization for study and research in as-
tronomy. It operates three world-class astronomical
observation sites in the Atacama Desert region of
Chile.
ESPRESSO: It is the Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky
Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations.
Its primary goal is to make very high precision radial
velocity measurements of solar-type stars to search
for rocky planets.
Significance
• The finding of the current research improves our un-
derstanding of exoplanets by way of shedding new
light on their climates.
• Using ESPRESSO, it has been possible to detect chem-
ical variations using analysis of the small observable
part of the planet’s atmosphere.
• This will help future research missions on exoplanets.
42 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Evolution
Scientists Sequence
Sturgeon Genome
Recently, a team of scientists has successfully se-
quenced the genome of the sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), a
species of sturgeon.
Key Observations
• In terms of evolutionary history, sturgeons are one
of the oldest species on earth and are the ancestors of
more than 30,000 species of bony fish that we see to-
day (more than 96 percent of all living fish species) and
about half of all known vertebrates.
• Sturgeons branched off on their evolutionary path
during the Upper Devonian or Carboniferous Period,
about 345 million years ago.
• Since then, the study shows, their genetic material has
changed very little. To confirm the same, the research-
ers studied the proteins encoded by the genes of the
sterlet which revealed that the protein evolution has
proceeded at a very slow pace.
• The sterlet genome has 120 chromosomes, about
47,500 genes, and 1.8 billion base pairs. The research-
ers showed that the sterlet duplicated its genome about
180 million years ago, leaving the species with four
sets of chromosomes instead of the regular two, a con-
dition known as tetraploidy in genetics.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Sturgeon: Native to subtropical, temperate and sub-
Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and
North America, sturgeons are one of the oldest fami-
lies of bony fish in existence. They are highly sought
after for their eggs, better known as caviar. Charles
Darwin coined the term “living fossils” for them.
Significance
• From an evolutionary point of view, sturgeon genomes
are important in enhancing our knowledge of the an-
cestry of vertebrates. This was missing until now.
• Owing to habitat destruction, river fragmentation, and
marine pollution, most sturgeon species are now on the
verge of extinction. Gene sequencing can serve as an
important tool for protecting them as it will enable de-
termination of sex using genetic analyses which will
greatly facilitate breeding. This will help control re-
production and support the effective management of
breeding populations. Thus, this study is a significant
milestone that will have a positive impact on efforts to
preserve these ancient species.

Government Policy
National Supercomputing Mission:
Boosting India’s Supercomputing
Capacity
In what can be seen as a significant boost to India’s
supercomputing capacity, the Department of Science and
Technology (DST) recently announced that 14 new super-
computers will be installed at various national-level re-
search laboratories and academic institutions by the end
of this year out of which 3 will be deployed in April, 2020,
under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
National Supercomputing Mission
• Commissioned in May 2015, NSM is jointly led by
DST and Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY). The implementing nodal agen-
cies are Centre for Development of Advanced Com-
puting (C-DAC), Pune, and Indian Institute of Science
(IISc), Bengaluru.
• NSM has the objective of setting up a network of 70
high-performance computing facilities across the
country by 2022 that will form the backbone of the Na-
tional Knowledge Network.
• The target of the mission is to realize computing speeds
ranging from a few Tera Flops (TF) to hundreds of
Tera Flops (TF) and having three systems with speeds
of up to 3 Peta Flops (PF).
• The Mission envisions development of professional
High Performance Computing (HPC) aware human
resource for meeting the implementation challenges.
• With the deployment of 14 new supercomputers, the
total number will grow to 17. Of these, eight systems
will be deployed in Northeastern India.
Prelims Facts   
lll
National Knowledge Network (NKN): It is a
state-of-the-art Pan-India network with multi-giga-
bit capability which aims to connect all universities,
research institutions, libraries, laboratories, health-
care and agricultural institutions across the coun-
try with an aim to improve access to knowledge.
Supercomputer: It is a computer with high perfor-
mance computing capability, having extremely fast
processing speed.
India’s Supercomputers:
PARAM Shivay: IIT-BHU
PARAM Shakti: IIT-Kharagpur
PARAM Brahma: Indian Institute of Science Edu-
cation and Research (IISER), Pune.
Significance
• The mission will facilitate supercomputing in various
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
national academic and R&D institutions across the
country and meet the ever-increasing computational
demands. This will empower scientists and research-
ers in carrying out cutting edge research.
• These supercomputers- with many sub-systems manu-
factured and microprocessors designed in India- will
find application in a wide range of domains like weath-
er and climate, computational biology, atomic energy
simulations, big data analytics, national security, dis-
aster management simulation and management among
others.
• NSM will help achieve global competitiveness and en-
sure self-reliance in supercomputing technology, thus
giving the country a strategic edge.
• It will augment India’s scientific and technological ca-
pabilities and help address multiple challenges.
Biology
New Way to Block Human
Papillomavirus Discovered
Researchers at the Yale Cancer Center (YCC) in the
USA have discovered a new biological approach that can
stop Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which hap-
pens to be the primary cause of many types of cancers.
The New Approach to Block HPV
• The new method targets the entry path adopted by
HPV for entering into the cells.
• An HPV protein called L2 contains a segment known as
a ‘cell-penetrating peptide’ (peptides are short chains
of two or more amino acids) which sticks through the
membrane of the endosome into the cell’s interior.
• Once inside the cell, another sequence of L2 next to the
cell-penetrating peptide binds to a cell protein called
retromer. Retromer delivers the virus into the retro-
grade pathway (a cellular transport mechanism) that
drops off the virus inside the cell nucleus, where it can
replicate.
• A sequence of only six amino acids is required for the
peptide to penetrate cell membranes, whereas a se-
quence of three amino acids is required to bind to the
retromer protein.
• In a culture medium of human cells, the researchers
added synthesised cell-penetrating peptides which en-
tered the cells and were successful in binding to the
retromer protein. When these cells were infected with
HPV, the virus could not bind to the retromer as it was
already tied up with peptides, thus blocking infection.
• This peptide inhibition (blocking of the HPV) persists
even after the peptides are removed.
•
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 43
CURRENT AFFARIS
Prelims Facts 
lll
Endosomes: These are intracellular, membrane-
bound sorting organelles. They regulate trafficking of
proteins and lipids among other sub-cellular compart-
ments.
Significance
• The discovery assumes significance owing to the fact
that HPV causes several types of cancer, including cer-
vical cancer, which kills 300,000 women around the
globe, annually.
• Majority of the people are not vaccinated against HPV,
especially in the developing world where most cases of
HPV infections occur. Also, existing vaccines do not
guard against all strains of HPV.
• The intracellular trafficking of viruses could be the tar-
get for new anti-viral approaches which could possibly
treat a wide range of viral infections that are thought
to be undruggable.
Key Cellular Mechanism in Hunting-
ton Disease Discovered
A team of scientists from National Centre for Cell
Science (NCCS), Pune, and Savitribai Phule Pune Univer-
sity (SPPU) has discovered a key cellular mechanism in
Huntington disease (HD) - a progressive genetic disorder
which affects the brain.
HTT Gene and the Cellular Mechanism
• The scientists studied the cellular mechanism of the
disease in fruit flies.
• Huntington disease is caused by a mutation in a gene
called HTT. This gene is involved in the production of
a protein called Huntingtin.
• Mutation in HTT gene leads to production of abnormal
Huntingtin proteins which form clumps. The clumps
disrupt several cellular processes and prevent the nor-
mal functioning of the brain cells (neurons), which
eventually die, resulting in Huntington disease.
• The current research showed that abnormal Hunting-
tin protein decreases the overall protein production in
cells. Huntingtin clumps collect together molecules
of another protein called Orb2 (in fruit flies), making
them unavailable for the process of protein formation.
In humans, a family of proteins called CPEB is equiva-
lent to the Orb2 protein in fruit flies.
• The researchers induced the cells to produce Orb2 in
excess, and found out that the adverse effects of the
faulty Huntingtin protein were reduced.
• The studies revealed that CPEB proteins in humans are
also sequestered by the pathogenic Huntingtin protein
clumps, as it happens in fruit flies.
• Orb2 protein performs crucial functions related to
44 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
maintenance of memory in fruit flies. This finding
holds relevance to the memory-related issues associ-
ated with the disease.
• This study offers crucial insights which could be fur-
ther explored to better understand the Huntington dis-
ease in humans and come out with management strate-
gies for the same.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Huntington Disease: It is a progressive brain dis-
order that causes loss of cognitive (thinking) ability,
uncontrolled movements, and emotional problems.
Adult-onset Huntington disease is the most common
form of this disorder. Symptoms include irritability,
small involuntary movements, poor coordination, and
difficulty in making decisions. Affected individuals
may have trouble walking, speaking, and swallowing.
National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS): It is an
autonomous organisation aided by the Department of
Biotechnology, Government of India. NCCS performs
cutting-edge research in cell biology, especially those
addressing important human health issues such as
cancer, metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, and
regenerative medicine. It also serves as a national
animal cell repository.
Quantum Technology
Towards an Era of Quantum Internet
In a significant breakthrough, engineers at the Califor-
nia Institute of Technology have demonstrated that atoms
in optical cavities could lead to the creation of quantum
internet- a system of interconnected quantum computers
over a quantum network.
Optical Cavity and Quantum Network
• In order to be functionally viable, a quantum network
needs to transmit information between two points
without altering the quantum properties of the infor-
mation being transmitted.
• To this end, the researchers constructed a nano-pho-
tonic optical cavity, a beam of about 10 microns length
with periodic nano-patterning, sculpted from a piece
of crystal. They then identified a rare-earth ytterbium
ion in the centre of the optical cavity, that is, the tiny
box for light.
• It was observed that the cavity modifies the environ-
ment of the ion in such a way that whenever it emits a
photon, more than 99 percent of the time, the photon
remains in the cavity. Moreover, the scientists found
out that ytterbium ions are able to store information in
their spin for 30 milliseconds that could enable effec-
tive transmission of quantum information.

• The rare-earth ytterbium ion absorbs and emits pho-
tons in exactly the way it is needed to create a quantum
network.
• All the above characteristics augur well for the devel-
opment of quantum internet.
• Currently, the researchers are creating the fundamen-
tal building blocks of a quantum network.
Significance
• The study marks a significant milestone in the devel-
opment of quantum internet.
• Quantum internet will have major implications in
many fields such as enabling quantum computing, se-
curing communications through quantum encryption,
enhancing cyber security, improving GPS accuracy,
among others.
News Bytes
Building a Comprehensive
Human Single-cell Atlas
A team of researchers in China recently took a signifi-
cant step towards the creation of a comprehensive human
single-cell atlas, one that would describe which genes are
expressed in various cells in all parts of the body.
• The different cell types were isolated from respective
tissue samples. Each cell was then sequenced using a
special tool called Microwell-seq which the team had
previously developed. It allows for fast sequencing of
a large numbers of cells. The researchers generated a
map using a method they devised for classifying cell
information. This map and its underlying data form
the basis of what could become a full, comprehensive
single-cell database.
• The team sequenced the RNA of over half-a-million
single cells donated by volunteers and processed the
information, presenting it in a manner that could be
used in a single-cell atlas.
• Currently, there is no single atlas that covers all cell
types in the human body.
• Considering the fact that human body has over 30 tril-
lion cells, creating such an atlas would require much
time and effort over many years.
• In the present study, the researchers provided gene ex-
pression information for over 500,000 cells from all
major organs of the body, including some from foetal
tissue. In all, the team sequenced cells from 60 types
of tissue.
• A human single-cell atlas would help scientists better
comprehend the functions of human cells and how they
work together, apart from saving time on new research
efforts.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Ikaria wariootia: The Ancestor of All
Animals
Geologists in Australia have discovered the first an-
cestor on the family tree that contains most animals seen
today, including humans.
• The small, wormlike creature, named Ikaria warioot-
ia, is the earliest bilaterian (organism with a front and
back, two symmetrical sides, and openings at either
end connected by a gut).
• It was found in Ediacaran Period deposits in Nilpena,
South Australia.
• The researchers used a three-dimensional laser scan-
ner that revealed the regular, consistent shape of a cy-
lindrical body with a distinct head and tail and faintly
grooved musculature. The animal ranged between 2-7
millimeters long and about 1-2.5 millimeters wide.
• The development of bilateral symmetry was a critical
step in the evolution of animal life, giving organisms
the ability to move purposefully and a common, suc-
cessful way to organise their bodies. Animals ranging
from worms to insects and from dinosaurs to humans
are organised around this same basic bilaterian body
plan.
• Evolutionary biologists, studying the genetics of mod-
ern animals, had earlier predicted that the oldest ances-
tor of all bilaterians would have been simple and small,
with rudimentary sensory organs. That prediction has
come true with the current research.
ICONSAT- 2020
The International Conference on Nano Science
and Nano Technology (ICONSAT) 2020 was organ-
ized from 5th to 7th March in Kolkata.
• ICONSAT is the biennial international conference held
in India under the Nano Mission of Department of Sci-
ence and Technology (DST), Government of India.
• It provides a global platform for eminent scientists who
bring to fore the recent advancements in the area of
nanoscience and technology.
• The three day event deliberated on several thematic
topics in the field, bringing out cutting-edge develop-
ments in the domain of physical, chemical, materials
as well as biological sciences that offer immense op-
portunities for translation of benefits for the society.
• In addition to existing research on nano-materials, sev-
eral emerging areas such as quantum materials, ener-
gy materials and nanotechnology for agriculture have
been included in the identified thrust areas of DST’s
Nano Mission.
• The need to create a network of experts in nano-sci-
ence who can learn from each other and integrate the
knowledge across sectors like energy, agriculture,
transport, health and so on was emphasized.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 45
CURRENT AFFARIS
• The event also discussed ways as to how nano-science
and technology can contribute to the challenges of sus-
tainable development and emerging technologies like
machine learning, artificial intelligence, etc.
DAC Approves Procurement of Tejas
Mk1A for Indian Air Force
Recently, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
approved the procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircrafts
(LCA) Tejas Mk1A, after a long drawn process of finalis-
ing the contract and other details.
• Tejas is indigenously-designed by Aeronautical Devel-
opment Agency (ADA) - an autonomous body under
the Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) and is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronaut-
ics Limited (HAL).
• It is the smallest and lightest multirole fighter jet
among contemporary supersonic combat aircrafts and
is equipped with a wide range of advanced technolo-
gies such as fly-by-wire flight control, relaxed static-
stability, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital
avionics systems and advanced composite materials
for the airframe.
• Designed to carry a range of air-to-air, air-to-surface,
precision-guided and standoff weaponry, it will be pri-
marily used for close air-to-ground operations.
• Given its superior combat capabilities, Tejas will sig-
nificantly boost the defence preparedness of the Indian
Air Force in the times to come.
• As HAL has partnered with several local vendors to
manufacture Tejas, the procurement will give a major
boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government.
NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission
Recently, as a result of NASA’s ‘Name the rover’ essay
contest, the rover of Mars 2020 mission got a new official
name: ‘Perseverance’. The mission is part of NASA’s Mars
Exploration Programme, a long-term plan chalked out for
robotic exploration of the Red Planet.
Mars 2020 Mission
• The mission is scheduled for launch in July, 2020,
when Earth and Mars will be in good positions rela-
tive to each other. This will help reach Mars using less
power.
• It will be launched on an intermediate-class launch ve-
hicle, Atlas V-541. Atlas was selected because it has the
right lift-off capability for the ‘heavy weight’ require-
ments for Mars 2020.
• The landing system of the mission uses a parachute,
descent vehicle, and an approach called a ‘skycrane
46 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
MACS 4028: Biofortified
Wheat Variety
Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute in Pune-
an institute under the Department of Science & Technol-
ogy (DST), Government of India- have developed MACS
4028, a biofortified durum wheat variety that has high pro-
tein content.
• With superior and stable yielding capacity, MACS
4028 is resistant to stem rust, leaf rust, foliar aphids,
root aphids, and brown wheat mites. It also has suf-
ficient amounts of many micronutrients.
• The variety can help alleviate malnutrition in a sus-
tainable way and boost the Government’s Vision 2022
“Kuposhan Mukt Bharat”, that is, the National Nutri-
tion Strategy.
• Biofortification refers to the process of increasing nu-
tritional value of foods by increasing the density of mi-
cronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in a crop through
methods such as conventional plant breeding, agro-
nomic practices or biotechnology.
• Crop varieties with particularly high concentration
of desired nutrients and other traits are cross-bred to
develop biofortified varieties that have high levels of
micronutrients and other desirable traits such as vi-
rus resistance, drought tolerance, high yield, superior
taste, etc.
• Biofortification offers a unique and cost-effective way
to target micronutrient deficiency among the larger
population who can easily have access to such foods.
Also, the biofortified crops are economically more vi-
able for the farmers.
maneuver’ for lowering the rover to the Martian sur-
face.
• The mission will introduce new entry, descent, and
landing (EDL) technologies, such as Terrain-Relative
Navigation (TRN) which allows the rover to detect and
avoid hazardous terrain by diverting around it.
• It will use NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) for
communication between the spacecraft and its mission
team on Earth.
Objectives
• Mars 2020 Mission will seek answers to key Astrobiol-
ogy questions related to the potential for life on Mars.
It has following as its broad objectives:
• Seek signs of habitable conditions on Mars in the an-
cient past.
• Search for biosignatures- signs of possible past micro-

bial life in those habitable environments- particularly
in special rocks known to preserve signs of life over
time.
• Perseverance will introduce a drill that will collect
core samples of the rocks and soils, and set them
Prelims Facts 
lll
Mars Exploration Programme: Started in 1994, it is
NASA’s programme on study of Mars that focusses
on its formation and evolution, geology and climate
processes, and Mars’ biological potential, that is, its
ability to host life.
NASA Deep Space Network (DSN): It is an inter-
national network of antennas that supports interplan-
etary spacecraft missions and radio/ radar observa-
tions. It comprises three deep space communication
complexes placed 120 degrees apart around the
world: in California’s Mojave Desert; near Madrid,
Spain; and near Canberra, Australia.
contd. from page No. 18
5. Exiting Funds to be Used Urgently: The government
directed the authorities to use the money already avail-
able in the district-level mineral fund to pay for medi-
cal testing and screening for the coronavirus.
Bottlenecks
• Low Cash Amount: Some of the cash transfer amounts
are too small (like Rs 500 per month for women Jan
Dhan account holders); some others are not really there
(like the doubling of loans for women SHGs).
• Implementation Challenge:Then there is the question
of implementation. For instance, at present many con-
struction workers and labourers are struggling to reach
their homes. To receive help, they will need to have
been registered in a particular state, but there is nothing
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
aside in tubes in a cache on the Martian surface, us-
ing a technique called ‘depot caching’. Future missions
could possibly return these samples to Earth for fur-
ther investigations.
• Test a method for producing oxygen from the Martian
atmosphere, which is 96 percent carbon dioxide (CO2).
Significance
• The mission will help gain knowledge and demonstrate
technologies that address the challenges of human ex-
peditions to Mars.
• By looking for subsurface water, characterizing weath-
er, dust, and other potential environmental conditions,
it will offer crucial insights on factors that affect future
astronauts on Mars.
• The mission will test ways of using Mars’ natural re-
sources to support human existence and lead to im-
proved designs for life support, transportation, and
other important systems for living on Mars. nn
to assume that they are in the state in which they are
registered.
• Skepticism over Methodology:Similarly, there is
skepticism as to how manual labour under MGNREGA
can happen while maintaining social distancing? If a
lot of people join in, there would be a concern of dis-
ease transmission — and if very few join in (fearing
the disease) then the hoped-for benefit may not actually
accrue.
Conclusion
During this nation-wide calamity government must
join hands with private organisations as well as non-profit
organisations to look after the welfare of one and all. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 47
CURRENT AFFARIS
ECOLOGY &
ENVIRONMENT
Climate Change
• Rise in Black Carbon at Himalayan Glaciers
• National Chambal Sanctuary Declared an Eco-Sensi-
tive Zone
Sustainable Development
• Snow in Antarctica, Turning Red
• National Chambal Sanctuary Declared an Eco-Sensitive
Zone
Fauna
• Red Panda Species are Two species, Not One
• State of India’s Birds 2020
Pollution
• Coral bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef
News Bytes
• World Water Day: Billions will have Limited Access to
Water by 2050
• Global Recycling Day
• Tribal affairs Ministry Constitutes Community Forest Re-
sources
• Global Coalition for Biodiversity Launched on World
Wildlife Day
• Sahyadri Megha: New Paddy Variety Resistant to Blast
Disease
• UK Confirmed as First co-chair of Coalition for Disaster
Resilient Infrastructure
In Focus
• UN Report: Map and Monitor Peatland Degradation
• Centre to Form National Interlinking of Rivers Authority
Community Forest Resources
The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) noted in a
study that state-level guidelines must be created for sus-
tainable resource usage in areas where community forest
resource (CFR) rights are given under the Scheduled Tribes
and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of For-
est Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). The study was commissioned
by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) in February 2019.
Key Features
• MoTA must issue broad guidelines and principles for
implementation of CFRs, mentioning specific role of the
state forest department, state tribal/social welfare de-
48 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
PIB CORNER
partment, revenue department and gram sabhas.
• State governments should prepare state-specific guide-
lines on the basis of MoTA’s guidelines.
• MoTa should focus on capacity-building of gram sabha
members, assessment of the biomass stock and biodiver-
sity conservation.
• Focus on capacity building programmes to educate vari-
ous stakeholder government departments about the acts/
schemes/policies.
• The micro-plans prepared by gram sabha for their respec-
tive CFR should be a part of the working plans of forest
division concerned, so that forest staff could facilitate the
implementation of sustainable forest management.
COVID-19 Flattens Peak-hour Pollution
An analysis carried out by the Centre for Science and
Environment has assessed hourly trend in PM2.5 and NO2
levels during the day before and after the lockdown and also
on the day of the Janata curfew.
Key Features
• As vehicles go off the road after the country-wide lock-
down in the wake of the novel coronavirus disease (COV-
ID-19) outbreak, the typical two humps of daily pollution
coinciding with morning and evening traffic peak-hours
have nearly flattened out in India’s big cities.
• As cities slow down to fight the pandemic, daily aver-
age levels of particulate matter of size less than 2.5 mi-
cron (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have reduced
sharply from the pre-lockdown days by close to more
than half in Delhi and the towns of the national capital
region (NCR).
• A similar trend is evident in other big cities including
Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai.
But the impact of this overall declining trend is dramatic
on daily peak-hour pollution.
• This brings out the pronounced effect of traffic on hourly
pollution trends. With traffic minimised, hourly trends
have plummeted, reducing daily exposures to toxic ve-
hicular pollution.
GreenCo Rating System
GreenCo Rating, developed by Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII), has been acknowledged in India’s Intended
Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) document, sub-
mitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, as a proactive voluntary action
of Indian industry / private sector towards combating climate
change.
Key Features
• Assessment and rating of major Workshops and Produc-
tion Units of Indian Railways as Green Industrial Units
started with ‘GreenCo’ certification in 2016-17.
• It helps the industrial units in identifying and implement-
ing various possible measures in terms of energy con-
servation, material conservation, recycling, utilisation of
renewable energy, Green House Gases (GHG) reduction,
water conservation, solid and liquid waste management,
green cover etc. Increasing focus in these areas helps
Railways in resource conservation and reduction in in-
tensity of environmental impact.

Climate Change
Rise in Black Carbon at Himalayan
Glaciers
Black carbon concentrations near the Gangotri glacier
rose 400 times in summer due to forest fires and stubble • Such algae as found around the Ukrainian research
burning from agricultural waste, and triggered glacial
melt, says a study by scientists at the Wadia Institute of
Himalayan Geology (WIHG).
• The team of scientists from WIHG measured varia-
tions of black carbon concentration at Chirbasa, near
the Gangotri glacier in the Indian Himalaya, and locat-
ed at an altitude of 3,600 metres, during the year 2016.  selves warm. Because the snow becomes darker from
Highlights of the Report
• The monthly mean concentration of EBC (equivalent • With the cold weather come ice, snow and frost in
black carbon) was found to be minimum in August
and maximum in the month of May.
• The concentration varied from a minimum of 0.01μg/
cubic metre in winter to 4.62μg/cubic metre during • Similarly, frost grows from water vapour in the air, but
summer. Being a pristine zone far from sources of pol-
lution, the measurements are critical to establishing a
baseline for pollution loads and estimating the contri-
bution of various sources to pollution.
• India is the second largest emitter of black carbon in
the world, with emissions expected to increase dramat-
ically in the coming decades, with the Indo Gangetic Significance of this Condition
plains said to be the largest contributor.
Prelims Facts   
 lll
Black Carbon
ŠŠ Black carbon results from the incomplete com-
bustion of fossil fuels and biomass. The fine par-
ticles absorb light and about a million times more
energy than carbon dioxide.
ŠŠ It is said to be the second largest contributor to
climate change after CO2.
ŠŠ But unlike CO2, which can stay in the atmo-
sphere for years together, black carbon is short-
lived and remains in the atmosphere only for
days to weeks before it descends as rain or
snow.
ŠŠ Black carbon absorbs solar energy and warms
the atmosphere. When it falls to earth with pre-
cipitation, it darkens the surface of snow and ice,
reducing their albedo (the reflecting power of a
surface), warming the snow, and hastening melt-
ing.
Sustainable Development
Snow in Antarctica, Turning Red
Over the past few weeks, snow around Ukraine’s Ver-
nadsky Research Base, located off the coast of Antarcti-
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
ca’s northernmost peninsula, has started to take on a red
tinge, courtesy of an algae that thrives in freezing weather.
Because of the red tinge, the snow is often dubbed “water-
melon snow”.
Reasons for snow turning red
base grow well in freezing temperatures and liquid
water. During the summer, when these typically green
algae get a lot of sun, they start producing a natural
sunscreen that paints the snow in shades of pink and
red. In the winter months, they lie dormant.
• The algae produce the tinted sunscreen to keep them-
the tinge, it absorbs more heat, as a result of which it
melts faster.
many parts of the world. Whereas ice is simply frozen
water, snow is frozen atmospheric vapour, which falls
on the surface in the form of snowfall.
unlike snow it forms close to the ground.
• Further, these algae, that are not uncommon in other
polar settings around the world, change the snow's al-
bedo, which refers to the amount of light or radiation
the snow surface is able to reflect back.
• The red snow raises concerns about the rate at which
the glaciers will melt away and eventually affect sea-
level rise.
• The more the algae packed together, the redder the
snow. And darker the tinge, the more the heat ab-
sorbed by the snow. Subsequently, the ice melts faster.
• While the melt is good for the microbes that need the
liquid water to survive and thrive, it’s bad for glaciers
that are already melting from a myriad of other causes.
National Chambal Sanctuary
Declared an Eco-Sensitive Zone
The Centre declared the National Chambal Sanctuary
in Madhya Pradesh, home to gangetic dolphins and 75 per
cent population of critically endangered species gharial, as
eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
About the Notification
• In its notification, the government prohibited any
new construction of hotels and resorts within one
kilometre from the boundary of the wildlife sanctuary
or up to the extent of the ESZ, whichever is nearer.
• The ministry has also directed the Madhya Pradesh
government to prepare a Zonal Master Plan, which
shall provide for restoration of denuded areas, conser-
vation of existing water bodies, management of catch-
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 49
CURRENT AFFARIS
ment areas, watershed management, groundwater
management, soil and moisture conservation, needs of
local community and such other aspects of the ecology
and environment that need attention.
• It said that forests, horticulture areas, agricultural ar-
eas, parks and open spaces earmarked for recreational
purposes in the Eco-sensitive Zone shall not be used or
converted into areas for commercial or residential or
industrial activities.
National Chambal Sanctuary
• National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National
Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400 km2
tri-state protected area for the protection of the Criti-
cally Endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle
and the Endangered Ganges river dolphin.
• Located on the Chambal River near the tripoint of Ra-
jasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, it was
first declared in Madhya Pradesh in 1978, and now
constitutes a long narrow eco-reserve co-administered
by the three states.
• Within the sanctuary, the pristine Chambal River cuts
through mazes of ravines and hills with many sandy
beaches.
• It is part of the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests.
Prelims Facts 
lll
Eco Sensitive Zones
ŠŠ Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) or Ecologically Frag-
ile Areas (EFAs) are areas notified by the Minis-
try of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
(MoEFCC), Government of India around Protected
Areas , National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
ŠŠ Notifications declaring areas as ESAs are issued
under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
ŠŠ The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some
kind of “shock absorbers” to the protected areas
by regulating and managing the activities around
such areas. They also act as a transition zone from
areas of high protection to areas involving lesser
protection.
ŠŠ An ESZ could go up to 10 kilometres around a pro-
tected area as provided in the Wildlife Conserva-
tion Strategy, 2002.
ŠŠ Moreover, in case where sensitive corridors, con-
nectivity and ecologically important patches,
crucial for landscape linkage, are beyond 10 ki-
lometres width, these should be included in the
Eco-Sensitive Zones.
ŠŠ Further, even in the context of a particular Protect-
ed Area, the distribution of an area of ESZ and the
extent of regulation may not be uniform all around
and it could be of variable width and extent.
50 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Fauna
Red Panda Species are Two
species, Not One
According to the most comprehensive genetic study
to date on these endangered mammals, Red pandas, the
bushy-tailed and russet-furred bamboo munchers that
dwell in Asian high forests, are not a single species but
rather two distinct ones.
Issue Involved
• Scientists said they found substantial divergences be-
tween the two species - Chinese red pandas and Hima-
layan red pandas - in three genetic markers in an analy-
sis of DNA from 65 of the animals.
• The recognition of the existence of two separate spe-
cies could help guide conservation efforts for a mam-
mal even as its numbers dwindle in the wild.
• Scientists previously recognised red pandas as divided
into two subspecies. While it had been proposed that
these were separate species, the new study was the first
to provide the genetic data necessary to allow such a
judgement.
• International experts have estimated a total population
of roughly 10,000 red pandas in the wild.
Difference Between the Two Pandas
• The Himalayan red panda is the scarcer of the two and
needs urgent protection because of low genetic diver-
sity and small population size.
• Chinese red pandas are found in northern Myanmar as
well as southeastern Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan prov-
inces in China, while Himalayan red pandas are native
to Nepal, India, Bhutan and southern Tibet in China.
• The Yalu Zangbu River most likely marks the geo-
graphical boundary separating the two species, not the
Nujiang River as previously believed.
• The two species also differ in coloration and skull
shape. The Himalayan red panda has more white on
the face, while the face coat colour of the Chinese red
panda is redder with less white on it.
• The tail rings of the Chinese red panda are more dis-
tinct than those of the Himalayan red panda, with the
dark rings being more dark red and the pale rings being
more whitish.
• Slightly bigger than a domestic cat, red pandas have
thick fur, a short snout and pointed ears, spending
much of their life in trees and dining mostly on bam-
boo.
• Despite similar names, red pandas and giant pandas
are not closely related. Giant pandas are one of the
world’s eight bear species. Red pandas, with no close
living relatives, are sometimes called living fossils as

the only remaining member of the Ailuridae mamma-
lian family. They are probably most closely related to
a group that includes weasels, raccoons and skunks.
State of India’s Birds 2020
The ‘State of India’s Birds 2020’  report, the first
comprehensive assessment of range, abundance and con-
servation status of birds in India, has underlined concerns
about some bird species and good news about a few others.
Highlights of the Report
• The report was prepared as a partnership among 10 or-
ganisations including the World Wildlife Fund, Wild-
life Institute of India and Nature Biodiversity Author-
ity-India.
• It was Released during CMS COP13, the international
conference held recently in Gandhinagar.
• Much of its data is based on citizen science — infor-
mation provided by birdwatchers through various plat-
forms.
• 867  bird species were assessed. This assessment is
based on three indices: long-term trend in abundance
(over 25+ years); current annual trend in abundance
(last 5 years); and distribution range size.
• 261 species long-term trends could be determined. Of
these, 52% species have declined since 2000 (with 22%
declining strongly), 43% showed a long-term stable
trend, and 5% showed an increasing trend.
• 146 species which current annual trends could be esti-
mated. Nearly 80% are declining (almost 50% declin-
ing strongly), 6% are stable and 14% are increasing.
• Small minivet; common woodshrike; short-toed snake
eagle; cotton teal; large cuckooshrike; common green-
shank; Rufous-tailed lark, oriental skylark, yellow-
fronted pied woodpecker; Indian thick-knee; little prat-
incole; little stint, Sirkeer malkoha; blue rock thrush,
crested treeswift, etc. were said to be on decline.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
Pollution
Coral bleaching at the
Great Barrier Reef
Scientists have warned that the Great Barrier Reef will
face a critical period of heat stress over the coming weeks,
following the most widespread coral bleaching the natural
world has ever endured.
Prelims Facts 
 lll
The Great Barrier Reef
ŠŠ The Great Barrier Reef, which covers an area of
344,400 sq km makes up roughly 10 per cent of the
world’s coral reef ecosystems.
ŠŠ The reef is a Marine Park and World Heritage Area.
ŠŠ Warming ocean temperatures, a sign of climate
change, is associated with the deteriorating health
of the Reef. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park,
which spreads across a length of over 2,300 km
and is roughly the size of Italy, is home to about
3,000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 1,625
type of fish, 133 varieties of shark and rays and
600 types of soft and hard corals.
Coral Bleaching
• Corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as
temperature, light or nutrients, they expel the Zooxan-
thellae algae living in their tissue, causing them to turn
white, hence bleached.
• Coral bleaching does not mean the corals are dead, but
make them vulnerable, hence increasing their mortality.
• Warm ocean temperatures are one condition that could
lead to coral bleaching. For instance, in 2005, the US
lost half of its coral reefs in the Caribbean in one year
due to a massive bleaching event.
• However, not all bleaching events are due to warmer
temperatures. In January 2010, cold water temperatures
in the Florida Keys caused a coral bleaching event that
resulted in some coral deaths.
Effect on the Great Barrier Reef
• Carbon pollution is causing unprecedented damage to
Great Barrier Reef. In recent years, Reef has suffered
severe mass coral bleaching, faster and more severe
than scientists predicted.
• Over 2016 and 2017, the Reef suffered back-to-back
bleaching, leaving half of the shallow water corals
dead. Results from extensive aerial and underwater
surveys showed that 29% of corals died from the 2016
event alone – with most perishing in the northern sec-
tion, where waters are warmest.
• 2017’s bleaching event reached further south from Port
Douglas to Townsville. A further estimated 20% of cor-
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 51
CURRENT AFFARIS
als died. To compound this, a category four cyclone
ravaged the Whitsundays region – decimating coral
reefs in its path.
• A combination of two severe bleaching events, Cyclone
Debbie and current outbreaks of coral-eating Crown of
Thorns starfish have significantly impacted the health
of the Great Barrier Reef.
News Bytes
World Water Day: Billions will have
Limited Access to Water by 2050
UN Secretary-General warned that without further
efforts, between 3.5 and 4.4 billion people in the world will
live with limited access to water, with more than 1 billion
of them in major cities.
Key Features
• World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March every year, is
about focusing attention on the importance of water. It
highlights the importance of freshwater and advocates
the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
• This year’s theme, ‘Water and Climate Change’, ex-
plores how water and climate change are inextricably
linked.
• The World Water Day 2020 campaign explains state-
ments such as:
• We cannot afford to wait. Climate policy makers must
put water at the heart of action plans.
• Water can help fight climate change. There are sustain-
able, affordable and scalable water and sanitation solu-
tions.
• Everyone has a role to play. In our daily lives, there
are surprisingly easy steps we can all take to address
climate change.
• The UN chief asked all people to play a role to help al-
leviate the shortage of water.
Global Recycling Day
Every year, the Earth yields billions of tons of natural
resources and at some point, in the not too distant future, it
will run out. Thus, recognising the importance of this day,
recycling day is celebrated on March 18th.
Key Features
• Recycling is a key part of the circular economy, helping
to protect our natural resources. Each year the ‘Seventh
Resource’ (recyclables) saves over 700 million tonnes
in CO2 emissions and this is projected to increase to 1
billion tons by 2030. There is no doubt recycling is on
the front line in the war to save the future of our planet
and humanity.
52 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
• The Global Recycling Foundation announced the theme
of Global Recycling Day 2020 as #RecyclingHeroes.
This will recognize the people, places and activities
that showcase what an important role recycling plays in
contributing to an environmentally stable planet and a
greener future which will benefit all.
• The mission of Global Recycling Day is twofold:
• To tell world leaders that recycling is simply too impor-
tant not to be a global issue, and that a common, joined
up approach to recycling is urgently needed.
• To ask people across the planet to think resource, not
waste, when it comes to the goods around us – until
this happens, we simply won’t award recycled goods
the true value and repurpose they deserve.
Tribal Affairs Ministry Constitutes
Community Forest Resources
The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has
brought back the Model Guidelines for Conservation,
Management and sustainable use of Community Forest
Resources (CFR Guideline) under the Forest Rights Act,
2006 (FRA), four years after it went into cold storage.
Key Features
• The CFR right under the FRA empowers Gram Sabhas
to conserve and manage their forests.
• Gram Sabhas have rights to protect, regenerate, con-
serve or manage any community forest resource that
they have been traditionally protecting and conserving
for sustainable use, according to Section 3(1)(i) of the
FRA.
• The Gram Sabhas also have a monitoring and control-
ling role in the conservation and management of com-
munity forest resources so that they can be sustainably
used for the benefit of forest-dwelling communities.
• In 2016, CFR guidelines were prepared by MoTA, in
consultation with the Union Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). However,
the guidelines faced criticism from various tribal or-
ganisations for being too technical.
• Under the FRA, habitat rights are given to PVTGs and
pre-agriculture communities and it gives them access
to the resources in the area recognised as their habitat.
Global Coalition for Biodiversity
Launched on World Wildlife Day
The European Commission (EC) launched the ‘United
for Biodiversity’ coalition made up of zoos, aquariums,
botanical gardens, national parks, and natural history and
science museums from around the world, on World Wild-
life Day 2020 (3rd March).
Key Features
• The coalition offered the opportunity for all such insti-

tutions to “join forces and boost public awareness about
the nature crisis, ahead of the crucial COP-15 of the
Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China
in October 2020,” when nations will adopt a new global
framework to protect and restore nature.
• The coalition adopted a common pledge, citing the In-
tergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosys-
tem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment finding that
one million species were already at risk of extinction,
and appeals to visitors to each of their institutions to
“raise their voice for nature.”
Sahyadri Megha: New Paddy Variety
Resistant to Blast Disease
As part of its initiative to prevent decline in the area
under paddy cultivation, the University of Agricultural
and Horticultural Sciences(UAHS), Shivamogga, Karna-
taka, has developed ‘Sahyadri Megha’, a new red variety
of paddy that is resistant to blast disease and rich in nutri-
ents.
Key Features
• The new variety has been approved by the State-level
Seed Sub-Committee and it will be available for farm-
ers from the coming kharif season.
• The ‘Jyothi’ variety, which was widely cultivated in the
command areas of the Bhadra and the Tunga reservoirs
and in semi-arid areas in Sorab, Shikaripur, Hanagal
and Sirsi taluks, had become vulnerable to blast disease
and other infestations. There was a demand for a new
paddy variety that is resistant to the infestations.
• Another objective of developing the new variety was
to cater to the strong demand for red rice, rich in fibre
UN Report: Map and Monitor Peatland Degradation
According to a Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations report released recently, Peat-
lands, play crucial role in regulating global climate by
acting as carbon sinks. They are now facing degradation
and need to be urgently monitored. The report comprised
information as well as recommendations to countries on
restoring and managing these valuable ecosystems.
Peatlands
• Peatlands are a type of wetland that occur in almost
every country on Earth, currently covering 3% of the
global land surface. The term ‘peatland’ refers to the
peat soil and the wetland habitat growing on its surface.
• They are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth
which are critical for preserving global biodiversity,
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
and protein, by health-savvy consumers in urban areas.
• ‘Sahyadri Megha’ is developed under the hybridization
breeding method by cross-breeding the best among the
‘Jyothi’ variety with that of ‘Akkalu’, a native disease-
resistant and protein-rich paddy variety.
UK Confirmed as First co-chair of
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infra-
structure
The UK was confirmed as the first co-chair of the
Governing Council on the India-led global Coalition for
Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
Key Features
• The coalition established by Indian Prime Minister is a
voluntary international grouping, linking governments,
UN agencies, banks, private sector groups, and aca-
demia to develop the resilience of infrastructure sys-
tems to climate and disaster risks.
• The Governing Council is the highest policy-making
body of the CDRI, co-chaired by India and a repre-
sentative of another national government nominated by
rotation every two years.
• The UK said it will provide technical advice and exper-
tise to help set up and build the Secretariat and advance
the objectives of the Coalition. The initial focus will be
on disaster and climate risk analysis and governance of
infrastructure.
• On finance, the two governments committed 240 mil-
lion pounds of anchor capital in the Green Growth
Equity Fund - its first investment going to Ayana Re-
newable Power, which is developing 800MW of solar
generation capacity.
provide safe drinking water, minimise flood risk and
help address climate change.
• Peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store;
the area covered by near natural peatland worldwide
(>3 million km2) sequesters 0.37 gigatonnes of carbon
dioxide (CO2) a year – storing more carbon than all
other vegetation types in the world combined.
• In Peatlands, year-round waterlogged conditions slow
the process of plant decomposition to such an extent that
dead plants accumulate to form peat. Large amounts of
carbon, fixed from the atmosphere into plant tissues
through photosynthesis, are locked away in peat soils,
representing a valuable global carbon store.
• Damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse
gas emissions, annually releasing almost 6% of global
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 53
CURRENT AFFARIS
anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Peatland restoration can
therefore bring significant emissions reductions.
• Countries are encouraged to include peatland resto-
ration in their commitments to global international
agreements, including the Paris Agreement on climate
change.
• Peatlands contain 30 per cent of the world’s soil carbon.
When drained, these emit greenhouse gases, contrib-
uting up to one gigaton of emissions per year through
oxidation, according to the report.
Mapping and Monitoring Of Peatlands
• Mapping methodologies include both ground and re-
motely-sensed input data. Mapping forms the basis.
Without a map, there will be no sensible monitoring of
peatlands.
• The monitoring exercise requires a mix of satellite and
ground-based exercises. To facilitate countries’ access
to a cloud computing-based and free monitoring plat-
form as well as high-quality imagery, FAO has devel-
oped two state-of-the-art peatland restoration monitor-
ing modules.
• System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing
and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) platform
contains a number of tools for land use and land use
change monitoring.
Why is it important ?
• Peatland mapping tells us where the peat is and what
condition it is in. Together, with conservation and res-
toration measures, mapping also helps in maintaining
water regulation services (reduction of flood intensi-
ties) and biodiversity.
• Monitoring the ground water level of peatlands is vi-
54 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
tal to prevent their transformation into carbon emission
sources.
• Peatlands are highly significant to global efforts to
combat climate change, as well as wider sustainable
development goals. The protection and restoration of
peatlands is vital in the transition towards a low-carbon
and circular economy.
• Damaged peatlands contribute about 10% of green-
house gas emissions from the land use sector. CO2 emis-
sions from drained peatlands are estimated at 1.3 giga-
tonnes of CO2 annually.
• This is equivalent to 5.6% of global anthropogenic
CO2 emissions. Fires in Indonesian peat swamp forests
in 2015, for example, emitted nearly 16 million tonnes
of CO2 a day. This is more than the daily emissions
from the entire US economy.
Prelims Facts 
lll
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has pre-
sented 10 strategic actions that can ensure peatlands
contribute their full potential to global agreements
such as the Paris Agreement on climate change and
Sustainable Development Goals. These include:
ŠŠ Assessing the distribution and state of peatlands
ŠŠ Measuring and reporting emissions from peat-
lands
ŠŠ Protecting and restoring peatlands with targeted
financial support
ŠŠ Stimulating market-based mechanisms to sup-
port peatlands
ŠŠ Engaging and supporting local communities
ŠŠ Sharing experience and expertise on peatland
conservation, restoration and improved man-
agement.
Way Forward
• Urgent action worldwide is required to
protect, sustainably manage and restore
peatlands. This involves protecting them
from degrading activities such as agricul-
tural conversion and drainage, and restor-
ing the waterlogged conditions required
for peat formation to prevent the release of
carbon stored in peat soil.
• Global efforts can build on the work of
those countries which have taken steps to
reverse the decline of peatlands.
• Peatland restoration projects have prov-
en to be cost-effective compared to other
available carbon reducing technologies.
They also have the added bonus of re-
establishing the multiple benefits arising
from peat-forming ecosystems.

Centre to Form National Interlinking of Rivers Authority
The Central government is working on the estab-
lishment of an exclusive body to implement projects for
linking rivers. To be called the National Interlinking of
Rivers Authority (NIRA), the proposed body is expected
to take up both inter-State and intra-State projects. It will
also make arrangements for generating up funds, inter-
nally and externally.
ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT
Details of the Plan
• Updated draft Cabinet note has been circulated to other
Ministries in the Central government.
• On receipt of comments, the note will be finalised by
the Ministry of Jal Shakti and sent to the Union Cabinet
for approval.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 55
CURRENT AFFARIS
• The proposal for an apex body on river linking has been
under discussion for the past 18 months.
• No specific timeline has been determined for the consti-
tution of the Authority.
• Once approved, the projects will be pursued as national
projects, wherein the Centre will absorb 90% of the
cost and the States concerned the rest.
• As of now, six ILR projects — the Ken-Betwa, Daman-
ganga- Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada, Manas-Sankosh-
Teesta-Ganga, Mahanadi-Godavari and Godavari-Cau-
very (Grand Anicut) — have been under examination
of the authorities.
• With regard to the peninsular rivers, the Centre has
chosen to focus on the Godavari-Cauvery link than the
earlier proposal to link the Mahanadi-Godavari-Krish-
na-Pennar-Cauvery rivers.
National River Linking Project
• The National River Linking Project (NRLP) formally
known as the National Perspective Plan, envisages the
transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins where
there is flooding to water ‘deficit’ basins where there
is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer
projects.
• The term 'surplus' as per the Government, is the extra
water available in a river after it meets the humans’
requirement of irrigation, domestic consumption and
industries. However, it underestimates the need of the
water for the river itself.
• The term 'deficit' has also been viewed in terms of hu-
mans only and not from the river's perspective, which
includes many other factors.
Prelims Facts 
lll
National River Linking Project
ŠŠ It is formally known as the National Perspective
Plan.
ŠŠ It aims to link India’s rivers by a network of res-
ervoirs and canals that will allow for their water
capacities to be shared and redistributed.
ŠŠ The NRLP will comprise of 30 links to connect
37 rivers across the nation through a network
of nearly 3000 storage dams to form a gigantic
South Asian Water Grid.
Benefits of the Project
• Hydropower Generation: The river interlinking pro-
ject claims to generate total power of 34,000 MW (34
GW). Out of this, 4,000 MW will come from the pen-
insular component while 30,000 MW from the Hima-
layan component. The addition of hydropower is ex-
pected to curb the drinking water woes of millions and
supply water to industries in drought-prone and water-
scarce cities in south and west India.
56 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
• Irrigation Benefits: The project claims to provide ad-
ditional irrigation to 35 million hectares (m ha) in the
water-scarce western and peninsular regions, which in-
cludes 25 m ha through surface irrigation and 10 m ha
through groundwater. This will further create employ-
ment, boost crop outputs and farm incomes and mul-
tiply benefits through backward (farm equipment and
input supplies) and forward linkages (agro-processing
industries). Along with this the project is expected to
create several benefits for navigation and fisheries.
• Correct Water Distribution Imbalance: It is expected
to curb the drinking water woes of millions and supply
water to industries in drought-prone and water-scarce
cities in the south and west India. The project envis-
ages the supply of clean drinking water and water for
industrial use amounting to 90 and 64.8 billion cum.
respectively.
• Effective Floods and Droughts Management: Pro-
ject aims to transfer water from water ‘surplus’ basins
where there is flooding to water ‘deficit’ basins where
there is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water
transfer projects.
• Challenges to the Task
• Environmental Impact: Indian National Water Devel-
opment Agency plans to dig hundreds of reservoirs and
more than 600 canals. Environmentalists are concerned
about the ecological impact of the project of such huge
magnitude. The water flowing into the sea is not waste;
it is a crucial link in the water cycle. With the link bro-
ken, the ecological balance of land and oceans, fresh-
water and sea water, will also get disrupted.
• Financial Problem: As this project is of massive esti-
mated cost, a long term planning and a sound financial
simulation are required to meet the standard of due dili-
gence for such proposals. The huge expenditure may
likely generate fiscal problems that are difficult to han-
dle. The maintenance cost and physical position of the
dams, canals, tunnels, and captive electric power gen-
eration will also involve huge financial burdens.
• Political Issues: Transfer of water is bound to be unac-
ceptable as no state is likely to transfer water to another
foregoing possible future use of such water. Domes-
tic and regional geo-politics play a pivotal role on the
discussions on ILR. As of now, there is no mechanism
as of now to deal with matters concerning inter-basin
transfers.
Way Forward
• There is an urgent need to take into consideration So-
cio- environmental concerns related to IRL Project.
There is an acute need for examining the presupposi-
tions on which the whole interlinking project has been
conceived. Thus, a very detailed hydrological, geologi-
cal, meteorological and environmental analysis of the
project would be imperative in the benefit of India. nn

Mains 2020
Model Questions and Answers
## Q1. Green Revolution, despite of several
achievements is marred by serious defects. Examine.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce by defining green revolution
and its environmental context.
• Body: Mentioning positives, list down defects of green
revolution.
• Conclusion: Conclude by suggesting a comprehensive
policy to deal with human and environmental issues.
Ans: The Green Revolution began in India in the mid-
1960s marking a transition from traditional agriculture to
the introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds and the
associated agricultural techniques.
Amidst positives like – increase in production/pro-
ductivity; self-sufficiency; generation of employment
and increasing income of farmers; the green revolution
had following negative impacts like –
• Reduction in Genetic Diversity: The planting of
fewer crop varieties for producing high yields reduced
genetic diversity among crop species. This has also led
to the loss of distinct indigenous crops from cultivation
and also caused extinction.
• Greater Vulnerability to Pests: The resistance to one
species of pest due to genetic modification might invite
other species of pests to attack the crop as in the case
of bollworm being replaced by other pest species in
case of Bt cotton.
• Displacement of Small Farmers: The Green Revolu-
tion has displaced the agricultural labourers, leading to
rural unemployment due to introduction of mechanical
innovations like tractors, combiners, thrashers etc.
• Land Degradation: The overuse of chemical fertiliz-
ers to get high yield has caused physical and chemical
degradation of the soil by altering the natural microflo-
ra and increasing the alkalinity and salinity of the soil
• Ground Water Depletion: High-yielding crop varie-
ties also increases irrigation requirements thus stress-
ing India’s water budget.
• Ecological and Health Impacts: The excessive use of
pesticides increases the presence of its residues in food
and environment.
• Income Disparity Among Farmers: By requiring
greater investments in agricultural production, the
green revolution in India has placed small and mar-
ginal farmers at a distinct disadvantage.
MAINS’ 2020
• Increased Social conflicts: It led to polarisation of the
rural society. It has created three types of conflicts
in the rural community, namely, between large and
small farmers, between owner and tenant farmer,
between employers and employees on the agricultural
farms.
There is a need of a more comprehensive policy en-
vironment that can protect farmers, human health and the
environment from the negative impacts of the green revo-
lution in India.
nnnnn
## Q2. What do you understand by the term re-
gional disparity? Briefly discuss the consequences of
regional imbalances in India. Suggest appropriate
measures to reduce regional imbalance in India.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce by defining regional disparity
and listing its various forms.
• Body: Enlist the consequences of regional imbalance.
• Conclusion: Suggest measures to reduce regional im-
balance and Conclude optimistically.
Ans: Regional disparity refers to a situation where
different indicators such as per capita income, consump-
tion level, food availability, agricultural and industrial
development, infrastructural development are not similar
among different regions.
Consequences of Regional Imbalances in In-
dia
• Inter - State and Intra State Agitations: Regional
disparities in economic and social development mainly
due to the neglect of certain regions have created a de-
mand for separate States like Vidharbha, Bodo land,
Gorkhaland etc.
• Migration:  Migration from backward areas to the
developed areas in search of better livelihood. For
example, migration from rural to urban.
• Social Unrest: Differences in prosperity and develop-
ment leads to friction between different sections of the
society causing social unrest. For example, Naxalites
in India are spread mostly in those areas which have
been neglected for long time and are under-develop-
ment and economically backward.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 57
MAINS’ 2020
• Pollution: Centralization of industrial development at
one place leads to air and sound pollution.
• Housing, Water Problem: Establishment of several
industries at one place leads to shortage of houses as
a result rental charges increase abnormally. Also, over
population leads to water crisis.
• Aggregation of the Imbalance: Once an area is pros-
perous and has adequate infrastructure for develop-
ment, more investments pour-in neglecting the less
developed regions. Thus, an area which is already
prosperous develops further.
Suggestions to Reduce Regional Imbalances
• Identification of the Backward Areas and Alloca-
tion of Funds: Special attention should be paid by the
Government in preparing and implementing special
plans and models suited to these for the overall devel-
opment of Backward areas on the lines of Special Area
Programmes like Desert Development Programme,
Drought Prone Area Programme, etc.
• Incentives: Incentives should be provided for promot-
ing investments in the backward regions.
• Growth Corridors: Growth corridoes comprising
of education zones, agricultural zones and industrial
zones should be operationalised for the rapid develop-
ment of zones backward areas within the states.
• Encouragement Through Rewards: A system of
rewarding States (including developed States) for
achieving significant reduction in intra-State dispari-
ties should be introduced.
Regional imbalance is a threat to the goal of inclusive
growth and reduction of poverty. The growing regional
disparities have dampened the speed of further economic
reforms, and hence may pose a barrier to India’s future
economic growth. Thus it is imperative to work for the
mitigation of regional disparity on war footing.
nnnnn
## Q3. What was the immediate trigger of the
World War-I? Also list other reasons for the breakout
of the war.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce by stating the trigger point
which led to world war I.
• Body: List down various other reasons which led to
world war I
• Conclusion: Conclude by highlighting the impact of
world war I
Ans: The Trigger point of World War-I was the as-
sassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. On 28 June
1914, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the throne
of Austria-Hungary was assassinated by a Serbian terrorist
at Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. Austria saw the hands of
Serbia behind this and served Serbia an ultimatum. Ser-
58 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
bia refused to accept one of the demands of ultimatum.
Hence, on 28 July 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia.
Then, Germany declared war on Russia and France and
Britain declared war on Germany, thereby resulting into
world war I.
Reasons for the Breakout of the War
• Imperialist Rivalries: By the last decade of 19th cen-
tury almost all areas were under imperialist control
and further conquest could only happen by dispossess-
ing some other country. Rivalries resulted in attempts
to re-divide the world creating conditions of war.
• Progress of the late-comer Germany: Germany
made massive progress after its unification in 1870. It
became leading producer of iron, steel and coal and left
behind France and Britain. Since Germany was a late
comer it could not grab as much colony as it desired.
• Clash of Interests: Both Italy and Austria had their
ambitions in the Ottoman Empire. Japan fought with
Russia for extending its territorial possessions in the
Far East and intense naval rivalry between Germany
and Britain was hinting at a big certain clash.
• Serbian Nationalism: Serbia had the ambition of unit-
ing all Slavs many of whom lived in Austria – Hungar-
ian empire, which consisted of people from different
nationalities (Slovaks, Czechs, Italian, etc.). Therefore,
even Austria wanted to destroy Serbia.
• Alliance Formation: Opposing groups like Triple Al-
liance and Triple Entente were formed and vast sums
of money were spent to increase size of army and navy
and develop deadly weapons. Europe became a vast
armed camp. Propaganda for war and projecting own
country as superior to other started.
The First World War was the most frightful war the
world had seen so far in terms of devastation it caused,
the number of people who fought it, the famines and the
social problems it created. Instead of destroying imperi-
alism, it helped the victorious powers in enlarging their
possessions.
nnnnn
## Q4. What factors were responsible for the dis-
patch of Cabinet Mission? Do you think that it repre-
sented a change of attitude on the part of the British
Government?
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce by stating the objectives and
composition of the cabinet mission.
• Body: Enlist the reasons for the formation of cabinet
mission. In the second part, state whether or not there
was change in attitude of British via cabinet mission
plan by comparing it with other attempts.
• Conclusion: Conclude by stating the outcome of cabi-
net mission plan.
 MAINS’ 2020
Ans: In March 1946, with the arrival of three Cabinet • Conclusion: Conclude optimistically.
Ministers, Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and Ans: Transgender persons are those whose gender
Mr. A. V. Alexander, in the negotiations between the Brit- does not match the gender assigned at birth. Because of
ish Government and the Indian political parties, arrived at this they face discrimination in the society. Recently, the
an early settlement of the Indian constitutional issue. government promulgated the Transgender Persons (Pro-
tection of Rights) Act 2019 with important provisions
Reasons for Sending the Mission to India like –
• Change in World Order: After the Second World • Definition of a Transgender Person: It defines a
War, the balance of power shifted away from the Brit- transgender person as one whose gender does not
ain and towards the USA and USSR. Both of them sup- match the gender assigned at birth. It includes trans-
ported India’s demand for Independence. men and trans-women, persons with intersex varia-
• Depleted Military and Economic Might: Even tions, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural
though Britain was on the winning side of the war, identities, such as kinnar and hijra.
its economic and military might was depleted and it • Prohibition Against Discrimination: It prohibits the
would take years to rehabilitate itself. The Government discrimination against a transgender person, including
was also not in a position to use British soldiers to sup- denial of service or unfair treatment.
press another popular struggle in India as they were • Certificate of Identity: A transgender person may
war weary after six years of Second world war. make an application to the District Magistrate for a cer-
• Change in Guard: The Labour party came to power tificate of identity, indicating the gender as ‘transgen-
in Britain, where most of its members supported the der’. A revised certificate may be obtained only if the
Indian National Congress demands for independence. individual undergoes surgery to change their gender
• Rust in Steel Frame: The British Indian Government either as a male or a female.
could no longer rely on the Indian personnel of its civil • National Council for Transgender Persons: It
administration and armed forces to suppress the na- also provides for setting up of National Council for
tional movement. The INA trials and the famous revolt Transgender Persons at central level.
of Indian Naval Ratings had shown that patriotic ideas • Other important provisions include – right to resi-
had entered the ranks of the professional Indian army.    dence, equality in education and employment,
The British Government, therefore, sent in March proper healthcare etc.
1946 a Cabinet Mission to India to negotiate with the In-
However, the act has following bottlenecks –
dian leaders the terms of handing over power to Indians.   
• No Reservation: In the NALSA judgement, the state
Cabinet Mission: A change of Attitude and central governments were asked to extend back-
• Previous British proposals for the settlement of Indian ward class reservation to transgender in education and
constitutional issue after the war, namely the August public employment. But the act fails to address that is-
Offer and Cripps Mission talked only about granting sue.
‘Dominion status’ to India. The Cabinet Mission was, • National Commission Not Enough: A transgender
on the other hand, a serious attempt by the British to commission at the national level is not enough. There
handover peaceful transfer of power to India as they is need for a welfare board for transgender, and a hel-
realized their inability to govern India after the post pline number for those in distress at regional and local
war nationalistic upsurge. levels.
• In contrast to previous British proposals, the Cabinet • No Review Mechanism: If a transgender person is
Mission plan was accepted by the Congress as well denied a Certificate of Identity, the act does not provide
as Muslim League, though with different interpreta- a mechanism for appeal or review of such decision of
tions of the ‘grouping clause’. This finally resulted in the District Magistrate
independence of not one but two nations – India and • Problem of Nomenclature: A more comprehensive
Pakistan. term like LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgen-
nnnnn der, and Queer) would have been more appropriate
rather than focusing on rights of transgender only.
## Q5. Critically analyse the provisions of • No role of Chief Medical Officer: The Standing Com-
Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. mittee emphasised on the importance of the role of the
Chief Medical Officer to check any potential misuse of
Approach of the Answer the certificate. However, the 2019 act removes the pro-
• Introduction: Introduce by defining Trans-genders. visions for a District Screening Committee and leaves
• Body: Discuss the provisions of the act. Also, high- the power to issue the Certificate with the District
light the drawbacks of various provisions of the act. Magistrate, based on procedure notified through rules.

CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 59

MAINS’ 2020
Government of India must take initiative and work
in coordination with the State Governments for sensitiz-
ing the law enforcement agencies and by involving all the
stakeholders to identify the measures and to implement the
constitutional goal of social justice and the rule of law to-
wards betterment of trans-genders.
nnnnn
## Q6. Examine the need of Prison reforms in In-
dia.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce the need of prison reforms by
citing recent issues in news.
• Body: Identify the challenges of Indian prisons and the
effect of those impediments.
• Conclusion: Suggest measures to deal with the chal-
lenges.
Ans: Recently, a Supreme Court-appointed committee
headed by Justice Amitava Roy (retd.) to reform prisons
submitted its report to the Chief Justice of India giving
several suggestions to improve the living conditions in In-
dian prisons.
Issues in Prisons of India
• Indian prisons are Overcrowded with some of the
prisons overcrowded by a staggering 500%. Both the
prisoner and his guard equally suffer human rights
violation.
• The undertrial prisoner,suffers the most, languish-
ing behind bars for years without a hearing.
• The Prison Department has a perennial average
of 30%-40% vacancies.
• Corruption and crime breeding inside the prisons.
• Neglect of health and hygiene of inmates.
• Difficult living conditions  for  women in-
mates and their children  below the age of 6 years
living with them in the prison itself.
Way Forward
• Look into the holistic development of prisoners as they
will come out one day and rejoin the society.
• Make prison stay  reformative and rehabilita-
tive instead of retributive keeping in view the human
rights aspects of the inmates.
• Increase the budget  for increasing the jail
infrastructure. This is also important in context of
fugitives who we wish to repatriate to India as other
governments do not agree to send them as one of the
conditions under UN anti-torture law prohibits inhu-
man and degrading conditions in jails as a factor to
deny extradition.
• Judiciary should speed up the trials.
• Set up open prisons  with minimum-security as per
the Nelson Mandela Rules (United Nations Standard
60 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners).
• Treat women prisoners more generously and allowe
them to meet their children frequently.
• Implement the recommendations of various commit-
tees set up for prison reforms from time to time like
Justice Mulla Committee, Justice Krishna Iyer Com-
mittee etc.
nnnnn
## Q7. Recently, amendments were made in the
Unlawful Activities Prevention act. Critically analyse
the significant changes as a result of the amendments.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Begin the introduction with the basics
of the act.
• Body: Highlight the key changes made by the amend-
ment , need of introducing changes and the challenges
in the act
• Conclusion: Suggest measures to deal with the chal-
lenges in the way forward.
Ans: The UAPA (Amendment) 2019 was passed in the
parliament to strengthen the terrorism act.
Key Amendments
• The wider definition allows central government to
designate an organisation as a terrorist organisation if
it: Commits or participates in acts of terrorism, Pre-
pares for terrorism,Promotes terrorism, or Is other-
wise involved in terrorism.It additionally empowers
the government to designate individuals as terrorists
on the same grounds.
• It gives approval for Seizure of Property and inves-
tigation power to NIA.
Need of the Amendment
• Rise in Terrorism Threats
• Circumvention of law by individuals since earlier
only organisations were designated as terrorists.
• Delays caused because of seeking prior permission
from the respective state DGPs.
Critical Analysis
• It confers the Centre with “discretionary, unfettered
and unbound powers” to categorise a person as a ter-
rorist which is potentially dangerous because it will
empower government officials to brand any person as
a terrorist without following due process.
• The right to reputation is an intrinsic part of funda-
mental right to life with dignity under Article 21 of the
Constitution and tagging an individual as “terrorist”
even before the commencement of trial or any applica-
tion of judicial mind over it, did not amount to follow-
ing the ‘procedure established by law’.

• The individual may face harassments in the form of
social boycott, expulsion from job, hounding by media
and perhaps attack from the self-proclaimed vigilante
groups.
• The vaguely defined terms like terrorist propaganda,
terrorist literature etc. can be misused by the authority.
• It allows the government to freely encroach upon the
fundamental rights of dignity, free speech, dissent and
reputation.
Way Forward
• The different agencies of state should ensure that due
process of law is applied while dealing with various
cases under this legislation.
• There is a need to ensure state of the art training of
young officials as to make them competent in tackling
complex cases.
• There is a need for a central agency for overseeing
evidence collection- so as to aid investigation process,
especially when cases need to connect dots across the
borders.
nnnnn
## Q8. Critically examine the need of National
Register of citizen’s at national level.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce with the basic definition of
NRC.
• Body: Benefit of NRC being implemented at national
level. Issues related to National Register of Citizens
being implemented at national level.
• Conclusion: Way forward.
Ans: The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a
document containing the name of all Indian citizens of
Assam. It was updated recently to identify Indian citizens
of Assam and to identify the illegal migrants residing in
Assam. Based on this a proposal was also mooted to create
a national wide NRC recently.
Benefits of National-Level NRC
• People’s Right on Resources: A national NRC will
clear actual number of illegal migrants in the country
ad prevent further illegal migration which in turn will
ensure rights of Indian citizens over its limited re-
sources in a better way.
• Evidence-based Policy Making: It will provide a
verified database to implement targeted policies and
calibrated policy measures by weeding out illegal ben-
eficiaries.
• Internal Security: By checking illegal migration it
will enhance internal security of the nation.
• Robust Electoral Process: It will reduce fake voting
by illegal migrants as they will find it difficult to pro-
cure Indian identity documents.
MAINS’ 2020
• Deter Future Illegal Migration: Publication of an
NRC at national level would scuttle future migrants il-
legally.
Issues With National-NRC
• Bad for Bilateral Relations: The identification of il-
legal migrants from Bangladesh has already put a dent
on India’s relation with the country which has refused
to intake these people.
• Law and Order Problem: The implementation of
NRC may lead to serious law and order problem in In-
dia.
• Corruption and Fake Cases: Fake official identity
cards such as Aadhaar, PAN card, ration card, voter’s
card pose a challenge to weed out illegal migrants.
Also, it may become a breeding ground of corruption
to furnish such documents.
• Human Rights Violation: Failure to produce original
documents may lead to elimination from the list and
subsequent harassment of people.
• Judicial Burden: Burden on judiciary will increase
manifold when citizens excluded from the list seek re-
lief to substantiate their citizenship claim.
• Economic Burden: As evidenced from NRC exercise
in Assam, the economic burden on the government
will run in thousands of crores which at present times
seems like an avoidable expense.
Way Forward
At present, given the skepticism in the country over
citizenship amendment act, government must put on hold
the idea of national NRC to maintain peace and harmony
in the country.
nnnnn
Q9. Competition law should support the independ-
ence of CCI in its effort to foster competitive and dy-
namic markets for growth. Critically Examine.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: The question pertains to the draft Com-
petition law released by the government.
• Body: First discuss the challenges that the competi-
tion authorities faces for the efficiency of the economy.
Then discuss the features and the lacunae that the draft
bill faces.
• Conclusion: Way Forward
Ans: Fair competition as one of the four pillars to
achieve India’s target of a $5 trillion economy. In order
to attain such an ambitious goal, it is clear that the gov-
ernment needs to design and adopt laws and policies that
deliver economic democracy and competitiveness.
The key institutional challenges that competition au-
thorities around the world face include preserving their
independence, which is considered necessary to perform
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 61
MAINS’ 2020
core policymaking functions, diagnosing problems of
competition accurately and fixing them and displaying
legitimacy and effectiveness in the face of severe public
doubts about the value of markets and the quality of public
administration.
India’s draft Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2020,
does touch upon some of these issues, albeit only in vary-
ing degrees. Despite a few good proposals made in it, some
noticeable suggestions and omissions may constrain the
government’s ability to foster a competitive business en-
vironment.
• Change in the Regulatory Structure of the CCI: The
draft bill proposes an overarching governing board that
would have general superintendence, direction and
management powers over the CCI. This board would
comprise not just commission members, but also sec-
retaries from the Union finance and corporate affairs
ministries as ex-officio members. It is to enable bet-
ter coordination between the CCI and the government,
enable expert external assistance to the commission in
undertaking key functions, and have structural con-
sistency with other regulators like the Securities and
Exchange Board of India and Reserve Bank of India.
• However, no rationale has been offered for why these
cannot be met within the existing design of the CCI,
which was conceived to operate independently of the
government.
• Issuing the Penalty Guidance: The Bill requires the
CCI to issue the much awaited penalty guidelines. The
penalty guidance (like its counterpart in the European
Union) is expected to give recognition to the relevant
turnover principles and lay down the manner of deter-
mination of the percentage of the penalty and applica-
tion of aggravating and mitigating factors.
• The guidance may provide the much-needed clarity,
even though the Bill falls short of imposing a manda-
tory time limit within which the penalty guidelines
will be issued.
• Regime of Settlements and commitments: The Bill
introduces a system for settlements and commitments
permitting the CCI to close the investigation on basis
of an application for settlement or commitment moved
by the investigated party.
However, there is a lack of clarity on various aspect
such as, whether settlements and commitments would
apply to existing cases; whether commitments would be
without prejudice and settlements with prejudice; and
whether right to claim compensation survives in case of
settlements. These should best be addressed in the Act it-
self as opposed to the regulations.
nnnnn
## Q10. The nomination of Ex- Chief Justice of
India to Rajya Sabha recently has drawn sharp reac-
62 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
tions from the legal fraternity as well as the political
opposition, and brings into focus the question of the ju-
diciary’s independence. Debate on the question, if this
was the right decision?
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: At the intro, give insights on the fact as
to why this issue is prevalent here.
• Body: While debating on the question, delve on both
the sides as to impropriety of the acceptance and the
rightness.
• Conclusion: Your final views
Ans: Less than six months after demitting the office
of the Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi was nominated
to the Rajya Sabha by the President. This has drawn sharp
reactions from the legal fraternity as well as the political
opposition, and brings into focus the question of the judici-
ary’s independence.
No, he shouldn’t have accepted it
• The independence of the judiciary has come under
the lens as it puts question on in his own tenure as CJI
and has put a dent on the entire judiciary which grabs
government’s offer at the drop of a hat.
• This invites serious questions, not just on him but on
the institutional operationalisation of the separation
of powers. The judiciary’s credibility, its finality, rests
not just on justice being done, but on its being seen to
be done.
Yes, he can accept it
As per the law on the appointment of retired judges:
• There is no provision for a cooling-off period for re-
tired judges.
• Various parliamentary legislations have provisions for
appointment of retired judges of the Supreme Court/
High Court.
• Many retired judges have been appointed as chairper-
sons and members of the commissions, tribunals and
authorities, even Governors.
A nominated member is an independent member, not
subject to any party whip and has no need to tow a particu-
lar line. He can voice his concern in the parliament and not
follow the directives of the government.
nnnnn
## Q11. Analyse the need for a data firewall keep-
ing in light the recent leak of medical data of patient as
reported by a German cybersecurity firm.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Explain briefly the main issue and key
concepts.
• Body: Explain the need of data security and the chal-
lenges thereof.

• Conclusion: Suggest measures to deal with the chal-
lenges in the Way forward.
Ans: A report by a German cybersecurity firm re-
cently revealed that medical details of millions of Indian
patients were leaked and are freely available on the Inter-
net. The worrying extent of leak makes it imperative to
implement a Data Firewall. A data firewall is a network
security device that monitors incoming and outgoing
network traffic and permits or blocks data packets based
on a set of security rules.
Need of a Data Firewall
• The information like medical data has the potential to
be mined for deeper data analysis and for creating pro-
files that could be used for social engineering, phishing
and online identity theft, over the Darknet — restricted
computer networks which exchange information using
means such as peer-to-peer file sharing.
• The absence of any security in the Picture Archiving
and Communications Systems (PACS) servers used by
medical professionals and which are connected to the
public Internet leads to the leakage of data.
• Public data leaks are quite common in India like leak-
age of Aadhaar numbers, electoral data rolls etc.
Way Forward
• India lacks a comprehensive legal framework to pro-
tect data privacy unlike European Union Union etc,
as Draft Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 is yet to
be passed.
• Considering the manner in which public data are being
stored and used by both the state and private entities, a
comprehensive Data Protection Act is the need of the
hour.
• The act must codify the relationship between individu-
als and firms/state institutions as one between “data
principals” (whose information is collected) and “data
fiduciaries” (those processing the data) so that privacy
is safeguarded by design.
• The fiduciary must seek the consent in a free, in-
formed, specific, clear form (and which can be with-
drawn later) from the principal.
• Selling or transferring sensitive personal data by the
fiduciary to a third party should be made an offence.
nnnnn
## Q12. The Covid-19 crises could bring the coun-
try up to digital speed. Examine the statement.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: In the introduction, answer how far dig-
italisation has reached India.
• Body: Give your thoughts how this pandemic will
push India to digitalise. Give relevant examples how
MAINS’ 2020
this pandemic will bring change in the traditional in-
stitutions.
• Conclusion: Way Forward
Ans: India is digitising faster than all other countries
except one. Between 2014 and 2017, India has grown 90%
in terms of digitisation, second only to Indonesia, which
showed a growth of 99%.
Move Towards Digitalisation
• The importance of digitization in a pandemic cannot
be exaggerated when we are repeatedly told to main-
tain social distance and work from home in order to
avoid infection.
• Today, most bill payments have moved online, and bar-
ring older people, who may prefer to pay their electric-
ity bills at physical counters, digitization is delivering
in spades. With older people now at highest risk in
this pandemic, one can expect them to either change
payment habits, or delegate the job to younger family
members.
• Courts are beginning to use video-conferencing to
conduct hearings. When the entire case is recorded,
the possibility of judges conducting trials in an unfair
way gets substantially reduced, for those at the receiv-
ing end of judicial injustice can seek retrials based on
video recordings.
• It is also the healthcare sector that is going to change
dramatically over the next few years, again thanks to
digitization and technology. In the current Covid-19
crisis, doctors and nurses are putting themselves at
huge risk. Remote patient examinations, analysis of
symptoms with the help of databases and algorithms,
and even the basic task of taking down a new patient’s
medical history can all be done remotely through a
digital app or interface.
Way Forward
• If we just stop to think where we would have been in
this pandemic but for digital technology, we would rec-
ognize the importance of going digital.
• It should make us think of how to convert the Covid-19
disruption into an agenda that brings us up to techno-
logical speed in various spheres of human activity.
nnnnn
## Q13. The Indian government is preparing to
install a nationwide facial recognition system, but the
plan draws criticism from rights activists and tech
experts who warn of the risks to privacy and from in-
creased surveillance. Examine.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Give a brief intro of what is facial tech-
nology.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 63
MAINS’ 2020
• Body: Explain the various facets of its benefits and
threat it possess.
• Conclusion: Way Forward
Ans: Facial recognition is an AI-based technology
that recognizes human faces. Facial recognition can be of
constructive use in numerous fields, but it is fallible and
must be regulated to guard against its potential misuse.
Benefits of the Facial Technology
1. Enhanced Security: The first thing to start with is
surveillance. With the help of facial recognition, it will
be easier to track down any burglars, thieves, or other
trespassers. On the governmental level, facial recogni-
tion can help identify terrorists or any other criminals
with the help of the face scan only. The additional bo-
nus is the fact that one cannot hack the technology:
there is nothing to steal or change, like in case of a
password, for example. As for personal use, facial rec-
ognition can be used as a security tool for locking per-
sonal devices and for personal surveillance cameras.
2. Faster Processing: The process of recognizing a face
takes a second or less — and this is incredibly benefi-
cial for the companies. In the era of constant cyber-
attacks and advanced hacking tools, companies need a
technology that would be both secure and fast. Consid-
ering that facial recognition is almost instant, it grants
a quick and efficient verification of a person.
3. Seamless Integration: The facial recognition technol-
ogy is quite easily integrated so it’s a perfect choice.
It does not require spending additional money on its
integration and most facial recognition solutions are
compatible with the majority of security software.
4. Automation of Identification: Facial recognition is
completely independent in the identification process
and not only takes seconds but is also incredibly accu-
rate. The 3D facial recognition technology and the use
of infrared cameras significantly boosted the level of
accuracy of facial recognition and made it really hard
to fool.
Threats and Concerns
1. Breach of Privacy: With the help of this technology,
the government can track down the criminals. But at
the same time, it can actually track down people like
you: anytime, anywhere. The question of ethics and
privacy is the most critical one. So even though fa-
cial recognition indeed brings benefits, there is still an
awful lot of work to be done before the technology is
100% used fairly and in accordance with human rights
for privacy.
2. Vulnerability in Recognition: Facial recognition
technology is indeed very accurate and no one can
doubt that. At the same time, a slight change in the
camera angle or even the change of appearance will
inevitably lead to an error.
64 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
3. Massive Data Storage: Machine learning technology
requires massive data sets to “learn” in order to deliver
accurate results. And such data sets require a power-
ful data storage. So a small or medium-sized company
may not have the necessary resources to store all the
data. And that might be a problem and disadvantage
comparatively to the big companies.
Way Forward
Before introducing the technology on full scale, create
an ethical framework to address the challenges and also
mitigate the bottlenecks of scale and vulnerability.
nnnnn
## Q14. Discuss how Wildfires Can Affect Cli-
mate Change.
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce with the context of wildfires.
• Body: Discuss the various impacts that are caused by
wildfires.Give various illustrations how severe wild-
fires can lead to climate change in the long run.
• Conclusion: Close the argument with the future an-
ticipation.
Ans: The extreme wildfires sweeping across parts of
Australia, North America, not only wreaked local damage
and send choking smoke downwind, they also affected the
climate itself in important ways that will long outlast their
flames.
Effects of Wildfires on Climate Change
• Carbon Dioxide Emission: Wildfires emit carbon di-
oxide and other greenhouse gases that will continue
to warm the planet well into the future. They damage
forests that would otherwise remove CO2 from the air.
And they inject soot and other aerosols into the atmos-
phere, with complex effects on warming and cooling.
• Dead Wood and Changes to the Land: Over the
course of several decades after a big fire, emissions
from decomposing dead wood often surpass by far the
direct emissions from the fire itself. But at the same
time, new growth in burned areas starts to once again
take CO2 from the atmosphere and store it. Fires also
change the reflectivity of the land, called albedo. As
burned forest areas start to regrow, lighter-colored
patches of grasses and shrubs come in first, which,
because they reflect more solar radiation, can have a
cooling effect until the vegetation thickens and dark-
ens again.
• Aerosols’ Cooling and Warming Effects: Wildfires
emit three times finer particle pollution. This pollution
creates health problems, and scientists are also work-
ing to better understand its impact on the climate.
contd. to page No. 75

Prelims Mock Test
Questions and Answers
1. Consider the following statements with respect to
Charter Act of 1833:
1. Lease to East India Company further extended.
2. Company monopoly of trade with China and in
tea ended.
3. East India Company purely became administrative
body.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) All of the above
2. Who among the following is associated with All
India Trade Union Congress (AITUC)?
(a) N.G Ranga, Minno Masani, K.M Munsi
(b) J.B. Kriplani and Ashok Mehta
(c) Shyam Prasad Mukherjee and Deen Dayal
Upadhyay.
(d) J.M Sengupta, V.V Giri, C.F Andrews
3. Bengal Tenancy Act, 1985 was passed following
which peasant movement?
(a) Indigo revolt (b) Tebhaga movement
(c) Pabna agrarian leagues (d) Mappila revolt
4. Which of the following is correctly matched:
Tribal Movements : Region
(a) Khond uprisings : Jharkhand
(b) Koya revolts : Orissa
(c) Koli Risings : Chotanagpur
(d) Naikada movement : Madhya Pradesh
5. Which one of the following is not correctly matched
with respect to 19th century Social Movements:
Steps to ameliorate
women’s position : Reformer
(a) Abolition of sati : Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(a) Widow Remarriage : Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
(a) Child marriage : B.M. Malabari
(d) Bharat Mahila Parishad : Sarla Devi Chaudhurani
6. Which one of the following observations is not true
about the Revolt of 1857?
(a) All India participation was absent
PRELIMS MOCK TEST-6
Set
6
(b) Greased cartridges was the sole factor for
discontent
(c) Big zamindars and educated Indians supported
British
(d) Lack of leadership and poorly organised
7. Which of the following is not correctly matched?
Movements and journals : leader
(a) One nation one caste one
religion one god : Sri Narayan Guru
(b) one religion one god
Self-respect movement : E.V. Ramaswamy
Naicker
(c) All India Depressed Caste : B.R Ambedkar
Association
(d) All India Anti- : Mahatma Gandhi
Untouchability League
8. Which of the following is not true with respect to
principles of Brahmo Samaj: 
(a) It denounced the practice of idol worship and
polytheism
(b) It discarded the faith in divine avataras
(c) It denied any scripture can enjoy supreme
authority transcending human reason and
conscience
(d) It denied doctrine of karma and its association
with transmigration of soul.
9. Which of the following is not correctly matched?
Political Association : founder
(a) The Indian league : Sisir Kumar Ghosh
(a) The Indian Association : Surendranath
of Calcutta Banerjee
(c) Bombay Presidency : Mahadeo Govinda
Association Ranade
(d) Madras Mahajan Sabh : M. Viraraghavachari,
B. subhramaniya
Aiyyar
10. With reference to Swadeshi Movement, which of
the following is not correct impact? 
(a) Rise of indigenous textile mills, soap and match
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 65
PRELIMS’ 2020
factories, insurance and banking facilities.
(b) National Schools and Colleges sprang up in
various parts of the Country
(c) Small corps of volunteers were organized to
generate political consciousness among masses.
(d) No result felt on culture, science and literature.
11. With respect to revolutionary movement, which of
the following is not correctly matched?
(a) Anushilan Samiti : Barindra Kumar
Ghosh, Jatindranath
Banerjee
(b) Barrah Dacoity : Western Anushilan
Samiti
(c) Abhinav Bharat : V.D Savarkar and
G.D Savarkar
(d) Nashik Conspiracy
Case : Anant Laxman
Kanhare
12. With respect to revolutionary activities abroad,
which of the following is not correctly matched?
(a) Indian Home Rule Society
(Indian House) : London
(b) Madam Bikaji Kama : Paris
(c) The Ghadr : San Francisco
(d) Virendranath
Chattopadhyay : Frankfurt
13. With respect to the Home Rule League Movement,
consider the following statements:
1. Indian Home Rule League established by Tilak
restricted only to Maharashtra, excluding
Bombay.
2. Indian Home Rule league established by Besant
covered entire India including Bombay.
3. In 1922 Gandhi took over Presidentship of Home
Rule League and renamed it as Swarajist Party.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only
(d) 2 and 3 only (c) None of the above
14. With reference to Sangita-Ratnakara literally
“Ocean of Music and Dance”, consider the follow-
ing statements:
1. Composed by Damodara in the 13th century
(early medieval period)
2. Both Hindustani music and Carnatic music
traditions of Indian classical music regard it as a
definitive text.
3. The author was a part of the court of King
Singhana II of the Yādava dynasty.
66 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) All of the above
15. With respect to Iqta System introduced in Delhi
Sultanate, consider the following statements:
1. Non transferrable territorial tax assignment and
military charge.
2. Mainly assigned to trusted nobles based on
competency, later made hereditary.
3. Holder of iqta were called muqti or walis.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) None of the above
16. The term sāqiyah, associated with medieval pe-
riod stands for:
(a) Geared water lifting device
(b) Spinning wheel
(c) Village headmen
(d) Floral motifs
17. Tibb-I Firozshahi prepared under the personal su-
pervision of Firoz Shah Tughlaq based on:
(a) Work on medicine
(b) Astronomy
(c) Minerals
(d) History of Delhi Sultanate
18. Which of the following statement is not true with
respect to Amir Khusrau:
(a) Khusrau’s contribution to Hindustani music
includes Qawwali, Ghazal, Tarrana.
(b) He is also credited for the invention of sitar on
the lines of veena.
(c) He wrote several prose work including khaza-
inul-futuh, Nuh Sipihr and Tughlaq Nama
praising the sulatanate rulers.
(d) Amir khusrau works are mainly in Persian and
Arabic but not in Sanskrit and Punjabi.
19. With respect to architecture during Delhi Sultan-
ate period, consider the following monuments:
1. Arhai din ka jhopra
2. Tomb of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
3. Tomb of sultan Balban
4. Alai Darwaza
Which of the following arrangement of above ar-
chitecture in early to later chronological order is
correct?
(a) 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 (b) 1- 3 – 4 – 2

(c) 3 – 1 – 4 – 2 (d) 4 – 3 – 1- 2
20. Consider the following statements with respect to
Dahsala System associated with Mughal period:
1. Under this system the average produce of
different crops as well as the average prices
prevailing over the last ten years counted where
half of the average produce will go to state.
2. Dashala was 10 year permanent settlement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
21. Which of the following statements with respect to
‘Mughal Mansab’ system are correct?
1. Zat rank was an indicator of a Mansabdar’s
postion in the imperial hierarchy and the salary
of the mansabdar.
2. Sawar rank indicates number of horseman the
mansabdar was required to maintain.
3. In the seventeenth century, mansabdar holding
more than 1000 or above sawar rank were
designated as nobles.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) All of the above
22. Consider the following statements with respect to
Bhakti movement during medieval times:
1. Chaitanya a brahman priest from Bengal initiated
a cult of rama in northern India.
2. Vallabhachrya and his son Vitthalnath
propogated the religion of Pushtimarga which
gained popularity in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
23. Consider the following statements with respect to
technology of the Mughal Period:
1. Musketry- a hand gun in which movement of
the trigger produce discharge of the pellets was
unknown to Mughal army.
2. Throughout seventeenth and eighteenth century
matchlock remained the most common weapon
of Indian armies whereas the flintlock were
common in Europe.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
PRELIMS MOCK TEST-6
24. Purana qila oldest fort in Delhi was built during
the time of?
(a) Allaudin Khilji
(b) Afghan phase of Sultanate
(c) Akbar
(d) Babar
25. Consider the following statements with respect to
Mughal Architecture:
1. Humayun’s tomb was built during Akbar’s reign
by Humayun’s first wife Bega Begum mainly
using marble.
2. Agra fort was rebuilt by Akbar mainly in red
sandstone.
3. The Ibādat Khāna was built by the Mughal
Emperor Akbar at Fort of Agra to gather
spiritual leaders of different religious grounds so
as to conduct a discussion on the teachings of the
respective religious leaders.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 2 only (d) All of the above
26. In Hadley cell thermal circulation, the warm air
which rises at the equatorial trough, finally de-
scends at
(a) Doldrums
(b) Intertropical convergence zone
(c) Horse latitude
(d) Polar high
27. Consider the following statements with respect to
Warm Temperate Western Margin Climate:
1. Wet and warm summer due to onshore trade
winds.
2. Dry and mild winters due to offshore westerlies.
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low.
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) neither 1 nor 2
28. With respect to Steppe type of climate, consider
the following statements:
1. Warm summer and very cold winters in southern
hemisphere
2. Steppe type of climate known as Pampas in
Argentina and Pustaz in South Africa.
3. Precipitation is evenly distributed all year round.
Select the correct answer from the following codes:
(a) 1 and 3 only (b) 1 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) None of the above
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 67
PRELIMS’ 2020
29. Which of the following soil is characterized by
very high content of organic matter:
(a) Vertisol (b) Histosol
(c) Gelisol (d) spodosol
30. Chernozem is black colored soil having high con-
tent of organic matter found along:
(a) Eurasian steppe (b) African savanna
(c) Equatorial rainforest (d) Mediterranean
31. A local wind crossing the Rockies coming from Pa-
cific and then descending the Prairies leading to
rise in temperature within the matter of few min-
utes is
(a) Fohn (b) Chinook
(c) Mistral (d) Sirocco
32. In the region of eastern shore of Adriatic Sea, a
cold and dry wind blowing down from the moun-
tain is known as:
(a) Mistral (b) Bora
(c) Bise (d) Blizzard
33. In India, how many states/ union territories have
more than two international boundaries:
(a) 1 (b) 2
(c) 3 (d) 4
34. Consider the following statement with respect to
North Atlantic Sub-tropical Gyre:
1. North Atlantic Subtropical gyre rotates anti-
clockwise.
2. Warm Gulf Stream current joins cold Labrador
current producing abundant fog
3. North Atlantic current turns southward to
become cool canary current.
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2
(c) 3 only (d) 2 and 3
35. Which of the following are cold ocean currents?
(a) West Wind Drift and Falkland current
(b) Kuroshio and Californian current
(c) North Atlantic Drift and Brazil current
(d) Benguela and Agulhas current
36. Which of the following river is directly joining
Ganga:
1. Ken 2. Betwa
3. Son 4. Buri-Gandak
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
68 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4 (d) 1 and 4
37. Consider the following statements with respect to
Sub tropical Broad leaved hill forest:
1. Sub-tropical broad leave hill forest found mainly
along the western Himalayas.
2. It is luxurious forest of evergreen species such as
evergreen oak and chestnuts.
3. Climbers and epiphytes are common.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 (d) all of the above
38. Consider the following statement with respect to
Red and Yellow soil found in India:
1. Red and yellow soil develops on Deccan traps in
areas of low rainfall.
2. The soil develops red color due to presence of
iron.
3. Fine grained red and yellow soil are mostly fertile
whereas coarse-grained are poor in fertility.
Which of the statements given above is/are
correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 (d) all of the above
39. Which of the following is not a type of commercial
agriculture?
(a) Dairy Farming
(b) Grain farming
(c) Livestock farming
(d) Intensive subsistence agriculture.
40. With reference to land use category, Culturable
waste-land refers to:
(a) A ny land which is left fallow for more than five
years
(b) Any land which is left fallow for one or less than
one year
(c) Any land which is left fallow for more than one
year but less than five years
(d) Any land which is permanently abandoned
41. Which one of the following is the biggest cause of
incidence of migration for female in India?
(a) Employment (b) Education
(c) Marriage (c) business
42. According to the Census 2011, what is the percent-
age of people (approximately), considered as in-

ternal migrants now settled in different parts of
country from their previous residence?
(a) 35% (b) 45%
(c) 25% (d) 55%
43. Consider the following statements with respect to
crops production in India?
1. The total cropped area under sugarcane is more
than area under cotton.
2. The total cropped area under wheat is more than
area under rice.
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low:
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
44. Zabo and Ruja system were in news recently, they
are related to:
(a) Rain water harvesting
(b) Handicraft making
(c) Shifting cultivation
(d) Folk dance
45. With respect to iron ore found in india, which of
the following is not correctly matched?
Mines : state
(a) Badam pahar : Orissa
(b) Baila Dila : Chattisgarh
(c) Hospet area : Karnataka
(d) Noamundi : Goa
46. Which one of the following factors is NOT con-
nected with planetary wind system?
(a) Latitudinal variation of the atmospheric heating
(b) Emergence of the pressure belt
(c) Earth’s revolution around the Sun
(d) Migration of the pressure belts due to apparent
path of the Sun
47. Arrange the following National Parks of India
from North to South direction:
(a) Indravati National Park
(b) Nagarhole National Park
(c) Corbett National Park
(d) Madhav National Park
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low :
(a) 1, 3, 2, 4 (b) 2, 1, 4, 3
(c) 3, 4, 1, 2 (d) 2, 3, 4, 1
48. The trees of tropical rainforest have buttress roots
PRELIMS MOCK TEST-6
because :
(a) they help to provide aeration to soils
(b) the organisms found in the buttresses have a
symbiotic relationship
(c) the trees belong to gramineae family
(d) the buttresses have to bear the mechanical load
of hardwoods
49. Which one among the following substances is NOT
a ‘green house’ gas?
(a) Water vapour
(b) Chlorofluorocarbon
(c) Methane
(d) Nitrogen
50. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
Proper design and effective implementation of UN-
REDD+ Programme can significantly contribute
to
1. protection of biodiversity
2. resilience of forest ecosystems
3. poverty reduction
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low.
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
51. Which of the following are provided in India by
the Right to Education Act ?
1. Right of children to free and compulsory
education till completion of elementary education
in a neighbourhood school
2. Prohibition of deployment of teachers for
non-educational works, other than decennial
census, elections to local authority like State
Legislatures, Parliament, and disaster relief
3. Right of minorities to establish and administer
education institution
4. No citizen shall be denied admission into any
educational institution maintained by the State
or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds
only of religion, race, caste, language or any of
them
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low :
(a) 1, 2 and 4 (b) 1 and 3
(c) 2 and 4 only (d) 1 and 2 only
52. Consider the following statements with respect to
“sovereign” enshrined in preamble of Indian Con-
stitution:
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 69
PRELIMS’ 2020
1. India can acquire foreign territory or cede any
part of its territory in favour of foreign state.
2. There is no authority above it and is free to
conduct its own affairs.
3. Indian Independence Act of 1947 declared India
as sovereign state.
Which of the statements given above is/are reflects
value of “Sovereign”?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 3 only (d) All of the above
53. Overseas Indians can exercise franchise in an elec-
tion to the Lok Sabha under which of the follow-
ing?
1. They must be citizens of India
2. Their name must be figure in electoral roll
3. They must be present in India to vote
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only (d) 1 only
54. Which one among the following rights does not
come under Article 14 of the Constitution of In-
dia?
(a) Equal subjugation of all person to the ordinary
law of the land.
(b) Absence of any special privilege
(c) Equality of treatment under equal circumstances
(d) Similar application of same law to all person
who are situated unequally
55. According to Granville Austin, which of the fol-
lowing was / were the most significant contribu-
tions of India to constitution-making?
(a) Majority rule and minority rights
(b) Consensus and Accommodation
(c) Social revolution and Political Freedom
(d) Asymmetrical Federal structure
56. According to Constitution of India, which of the
following is fundamental to the governance of the
country:
(a) The Preamble and the Fundamental Rights
(b) Directive Principles of State Policy
(c) Fundamental Duties
(d) Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties
57. According to Article 3 of the Constitution of India,
the Parliament may by law:
1. declare war on any country
2. alter the boundaries of any State
3. increase the area of any State
70 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
4. establish an Autonomous Council within any
State
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low :
(a) 3 only (b) 1, 2 and 4
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
58. Which one of the following is not correctly
matched?
(a) Fourth schedule: Allocation of seats in the
Council of States
(b) Second Schedule: Salaries and allowances with
respect to Chairman and Deputy Chairman of
Council of States
(c) Third Schedule: Forms of Oaths and Affirmation
(d) Eleventh Schedule: List of subjects for Municipal
Administration
59. The provision under Article 350A of the Constitu-
tion of India relates to the :
(a) right of any section of the citizens to preserve its
distinct language and culture
(b) right of the Sikh community to carrying and
wearing of kirpans
(c) provision for providing facilities for instruction
in mother-tongue at primary stage
(d) freedom of Minority-managed educational
institutions from discrimination in the matter of
receiving aid from the State
60. Which one among the following is not correctly
matched?
(a) Habeas corpus : to have the body of
(b) Mandamus : we command
(c) Quo-warranto : to be informed
(d) Prohibition : to forbid
61. The National Human Rights Commission has :
1. a Chairperson who has been a Chief Justice of
Supreme Court or a High Court of India
2. one Member who is or has been a Judge of
Supreme Court
3. one Member who is, or has been the Chief Justice
of a High Court
4. two Members to be appointed from amongst
persons having knowledge of or practical
experience in matters relating to human rights
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low :
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 (b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only (d) 2, 3 and 4 only

62. The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India
can be removed from office only by :
(a) President on the advice of the Union Cabinet.
(b) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(c) President of India after an address in both Houses
of Parliament.
(d) President on the advice of Chief Justice of India.
63. Consider the following statements:
1. No criminal proceedings shall be instituted
against the Governor of a State in any court
during his term of office.
2. The emoluments and allowances of the Governor
of a State shall not be diminished during his term
of office.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
64. Which of the following reasons were cited by the
Ashok Mehta Committee for the decline of the
Panchayati Raj Institutions in India ?
1. Role of Bureaucracy
2. Lack of Political Will
3. Lack of conceptual clarity
4. Lack of gender parity
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low:
(a) 1 and 4 (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) 2, 3 and 4
65. The setting up of the Inter-State Council in 1990
was meant to:
(a) substitute the National Development Council.
(b) Strengthen the cooperative federalism
(c) be an institutional interface between the
Judiciary and the Government.
(d) provide membership to local customary bodies.
66. Consider the following statements about the ASE-
AN Regional Forum:
1. It is consultative Asia-Pacific Forum for
promoting open dialogue on political and
security cooperation in the region only.
2. At present ARF has 27 members
3. India joined ARF in 2006.
Select the correct answer from the following codes:
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 (d) All of the above
PRELIMS MOCK TEST-6
67. National treatment policy and Most Favored Na-
tion Clause, recently seen in news relates to:
(a) IMF (b) World bank
(c) WTO
(d) FATF(Financial Action Task Force)
68. With reference to International North South Trans-
port Corridor (INSTC), consider the following:
1, It was founded in 2002 by India, Iran and
Azerbaijan.
2. The primary objective of the INSTC project is to
reduce costs in terms of time and money over the
traditional route currently being used.
3. Recently, Russia joined the corridor.
Select the correct answer from the following codes:
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) None of the above
69. With reference to New Development Bank, con-
sider the following statements:
1, It is a multilateral development bank established
by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa)
2. It came into force in 2015 as per Fortaleza
agreement.
3. It’s headquarter is located at Beijing.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 only
70. Recently started first South Asia petroleum prod-
uct pipeline is related to
(a) India-Nepal Relation
(b) India- Bhutan Relation
(c) India-Sri lanka relation
(d) India-Bangladesh relations
71. Recently Gandhi solar park which was established
to generate awareness towards generating clean
energy is located at
(a) Thimphu (b) Houston
(c) New York (d) Vladivostok
72. BRICS summit 2020, will be hosted by
(a) Brazil (b) India
(c) China (d) Russia
73. Consider the following statement with respect to
coal India limited:
1, CIL has it’s headquarter in Kolkata.
2. CIL operates 83 mines spread over fifteen states
in India.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 71
PRELIMS’ 2020
3. CIL is the single largest coal producing company
in the world.
Which of the following statements given above is/
are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
74. Which of the following is not true with respect to
Members of Parliament Local Area Development
Scheme:
(a) Annual entitlement per MP is 5 crores.
(b) Members of the parliament sanction, execute and
complete work under the scheme.
(c) Nominated member of the parliament can
recommend work for implementation anywhere
in the country
(d) The scheme is fully funded by government of
India.
75. Consider the following statements with respect
to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana
(DDUGJY):
1. The programme was launched by Ministry Rural
Development.
2. Feeder separation to ensure sufficient power to
farmers and regular supply to other consumers.
3. Strengthening of sub-transmission and
distribution network.
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low:
a) 1 and 2 only b) 2 and 3 only
c) 3 and 4 only d) 1 and 4 only
76. Which of the following is not true with respect to
Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana
–“Saubhagya” yojana:
(a) The aim is to provide electricity connections to
all remaining un-electrified households in rural
as well as urban areas.
(b) Electricity connection would be totally free of
cost for every un-electrified households.
(c) It was launched to plug the gaps of IPDS and
DDUGJY in providing last mile connectivity.
(d) The scheme is executed by respective DISCOMs/
Power Deptt. through turnkey contractors or
departmentally or through other suitable agencies
capable of doing this work as per norms.
77. Consider the following statements with respect to
Ayushman Bharat Yojana?
1. there is no cap on family size and age
2. access of Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs)
72 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
at the primary level.
3. provision of financial protection for accessing
curative care at the secondary and tertiary levels
through engagement with both public insurance
facilities only.
4. There is benefit cover of 10 lakh per family per
year.
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low:
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 and 4 only (d) 1 and 4 only
78. Which of the following is not the objective of
MGNREGA?
(a) Providing up to 100 days of skilled labour in a
financial year.
(b) Creation of productive assets
(c) Enhancing livelihood security
(d) Empowerment of women
79. Consider the following statements with respect
to National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)
launched in 2019:
1. It is launched by National Payment corporation
of India.
2. It is aimed at low value payments for various
services e.g. Transit, Smart cities, Toll, Parking
all over the country but not retail payment.
3. The vision behind the introduction of this card is
to have interoperability.
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low:
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only (d) All of the above.
80. Consider the following statements with respect to
National Rural Economic Transformation Project
(NRETP):
1. It is externally aided project by Asian
Development Bank.
2. It will be implemented under the Deendayal
Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods
Mission (DAY-NRLM)
3. Key Focus of the Project will be to promote
women-owned and women-led farm and non-
farm enterprises across value chains; enable
them to build businesses that help them access
finance, markets and networks; and generate
employment.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 (d) 3 only

81. Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)
UDAN version 3.0, Ministry of Civil Aviation
aims to setup six water aerodrome sites to start
seaplane and helicopter services. Which of the fol-
lowing site is not among them?
(a) Nagarjuna Sagar
(b) Umrangso Reservoir
(c) Shatrunjay Dam
(d) Govind sagar reservoir
82. Consider the following statements with respect to
Atal JaiAnusandhan Biotech Missions launched in
2019-Feb:
1. (UNaTI) – transform health, agriculture and
energy sector
2. GARBH-ini – develop prediction tool for pre
term berth
3. IndCEPI - develop affordable vaccines for
endemic diseases, Development of Biofortified
and Protein Rich wheat and affordable Affordable
Diagnostics and Therapeutics for anti microbial
resistence.
4. Clean Energy Mission – innovative technology
mission for swacchh bharat.
Select the correct answer using the code given be-
low.
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4 (d) all of the above
83. The maiden Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime
Exercise (SITMEX) was held at:
(a) Port blair (b) Singapore
(c) Bangkok (d) Chennai
84. The maiden India-US joint tri-services Humani-
tarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) ex-
ercise was held recently, what is its code name:
(a) Elephant Triumph (b) Tiger triumph
(d) Lion triumph (d) Eagle triumph
85. Find correct statement(s) about Mission Shakti:
Anti-satellite Missile (ASAT) test conducted in
2019-March:
1. The missile system was developed by ISRO.
2. India became the third nation after USA and
China with ASAT technology.
3. ASAT missile used was part of India’ Ballastic
Missile Defence Programme.
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) All of the above
PRELIMS MOCK TEST-6
86. Consider the following statements with respect to
Outer Space Treaty (International Space Law):
1. It came into force in 1967.
2. It establishes that space shall be free for
exploration and use by all nations, but that no
nation may claim sovereignty of outer space or
any celestial body.
3. It bans all types of military activities within
space, weaponisation of space and complete ban
on weapon of mass destruction.
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) All of the above
87. Consider the following statements with respect to
Asteroids:
1. Asteroids are mainly found in belt located
between Jupiter and Saturn.
2. Asteroids and meteoroids are different mainly in
size, where meteoroids have a diameter of one
meter or less, whereas asteroids have a diameter
of greater than one meter.
3. Asteroids and comets are different mainly of
composition where asteroids are made of rock
and minerals while comets are made of dust and
ice.
Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) All of the above
88. Consider the following Pairs:
Asteroids : Exploration Spacecrafts
1. Itokawa : Japanese Hayabusa
2. Ryugu : Japanese Hayabusa 2
3. Bennu : OSIRIS- REx
4. Ceres and 4 Vesta : NASA Dawn
Which of the following pairs given above are cor-
rectly matched?
(a) 1 and 4 (b) 3 and 4
(c) 2, 3 and 4 (d) all of the above
89. Consider the following statements with respect to
Event Horizon Telescope:
1, Physically connected planet scale array of 8
ground based radio telescope located in North
America.
2. It studies the most extreme objects in the Universe
predicted by Einstein’s general relativity.
3. Recently EHT succeeded in unveiling the image
of black hole at the centre of Messier 87.
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 73
PRELIMS’ 2020
Which of the pairs given above are correctly
matched?
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 only (d) All of the above
90. Which of the following is more contagious i.e. av-
erage number of people infected by an individual?
(a) Measles
(b) Smallpox
(c) SARS-Cov
(d) SARS-Cov2 (2019 nCoV)
91. Which of the following is not correct about repo
rate?
(a) It is interest rate charged by the central bank on
overnight loan.
(b) It is interest rate paid by the commercial bank on
overnight borrowing
(c) It is the interest rate agreed upon in the loan
contract between a commercial bank and central
bank.
(d) It is a cost of collateral security.
92. The money multiplier in an economy increases
with which one of the following?
(a) Increase in the cash reserve ratio
(b) Decrease in repo rate
(c) Increase in the statutory liquidity
(d) increase in reverse repo rate
93. Which of the following is issued by registered for-
eign portfolio investors to overseas investors who
want to be part of the Indian stock market without
registering themselves directly?
(a) Certificate of Deposit
(b) Commercial Paper
(c) Promissory Note
(d) Participatory Note
94. Find out the correct statement(s) regarding the
new norms for FDI in coal mining and digital me-
dia notified in 2019-September:
1. 100% FDI is allowed for mining and sale of coal
under the automatic route.
2. 100% FDI is allowed in digital media sector
under government route.
3. 49% FDI under approval route for contract
manufacturing.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) all of the above.
74 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
95. Government of India specified terms of reference
for the 15th Finance Commision of India. Which
of the following is not among them ?
(a) separate allocation of the fund for defence.
(b) separate allocation of the fund for internal
security
(c) separate allocation of the fund for development
of Laddakh and Kashmir
(d) Census 2011 as the basis for horizontal
distribution.
96. Consider the following statements with respect to
recent merger of Public Sector bank:
1. With the recent merger, total number of public
sector banks reduced from 27 banks in 2017 to
10 bank in April 2020.
2. Andhra and Corporation banks merged with
Union Bank of India.
3. Allahabad bank is merged with Indian Bank.
Which of the statements given above is/ are cor-
rect?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) all of the above
97. Consider the following statements with respect to
payment bank and small finance bank:
(a) Payment banks provide lending facility while
small finance bank can’t.
(b) Payment banks can issue debit and credit cards.
(c) India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has announced
desire to convert into a Small Finance Bank
(SFB).
Which of the statements given above is/ are cor-
rect?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only (d) all of the above
98. Which one of the following is true with respect to
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Mandhan Yojana-
(a) Ministry of Finance is the nodal ministry for the
implementation of the scheme.
(b) All farmers within the age group of 18 to 40
years can join.
(c) Once the person farmer dies, his/her spouse is
eligible for the same amount of pension.
(d) Beneficiaries on attaining the age of 60 years
will get monthly fixed pension of Rs. 3000.
99. The cash reserve ratio refers to
(a) The share of net Demand and Time liabilities
that banks have to hold as liquid assets.

(b) The share of net Demand and Time liabilities
that banks have to hold as balance with the RBI
(c) The share of net Demand and Time liabilities the
bank have to hold as part of their cash reserve.
(d) The ratio of cash holdings to reserves of bank.
100. Consider the following statements with respect to
National Electronic Fund Transfer:
1. Transfer money up to 5 lakh
2. Available 24x7 and on holidays.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
contd. from page No. 64
• Some of those aerosols can make the atmosphere more
reflective. Black carbon, an aerosol and short-lived cli-
mate pollutant, can actually absorb heat while floating
around in the air, and that heats the atmosphere.
• Wind-Blown Soot Can Affect the Ice Sheets: Those
tiny remnants of burned plants can also affect the cli-
mate when they land on mountain glaciers and espe-
cially on the snow and ice in the Arctic. In some years,
scientists have traced soot from wildfires in Canada to
Greenland, where they darken the ice and snow and
speed up melting.
• Biodiversity Loss: The fires severely decimate the
flora and fauna of the forests thereby altering the bi-
odiversity of the ecosystem beyond repair. This may
also lead to the extinction of many vulnerable species
irrevocably.
Conclusion
Apart from the immediate impacts caused by massive
wildfires, its long-term impact will take years to come into
effect. However, this is an alarming bell for the human
race to take urgent measures to combat climate disasters
on war footing.
nnnnn
Q15. Why honesty is a priceless asset for a civil
servant?
Approach of the Answer
• Introduction: Introduce with a quote.
• Body: Enumerate the consequences of being an Hon-
est Civil Servant
PRELIMS MOCK TEST-6
ANSWERS
1. (d) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (d) 5. (d) 6. (b) 7. (c)
8. (d) 9. (c) 10. (d) 11. (b) 12. (d) 13. (d) 14. (b)
15. (b) 16. (a) 17. (a) 18. (d) 19. (b) 20. (d) 21. (a)
22. (b) 23. (b) 24. (b) 25. (c) 26. (c) 27. (d) 28. (d)
29. (b) 30. (a) 31. (b) 32. (b) 33. (d) 34. (d) 35. (a)
36. (d) 37. (b) 38. (b) 39. (d) 40. (a) 41. (c) 42. (a)
43. (d) 44. (d) 45. (d) 46. (c) 47. (c) 48. (d) 49. (d)
50. (d) 51. (d) 52. (d) 53. (c) 54. (d) 55. (c) 56. (b)
57. (c) 58. (d) 59. (c) 60. (c) 61. (d) 62. (c) 63. (c)
64. (c) 65. (b) 66. (a) 67. (c) 68. (b) 69. (a) 70. (a)
71. (c) 72. (d) 73. (b) 74. (b) 75. (b) 76. (b) 77. (a)
78. (a) 79. (c) 80. (c) 81. (d) 82. (d) 83. (a) 84. (b)
85. (c) 86. (a) 87. (b) 88. (d) 89. (b) 90. (a) 91. (c)
92. (b) 93. (d) 94. (a) 95. (c) 96. (b) 97. (c) 98. (d)
99. (c) 100. (a) nn
• Conclusion: Conclude with a positive outlook.
Ans: There is an age-old dictum — honesty is the best
policy. It is an essential moral principle for one and all. But
in the larger societal interest, bureaucrats need to remain
honest even at direct or collateral cost to them.
Honesty or absolute integrity, truthfulness and hard
work without indulgences form an inherent part of the life
a civil servant whose sole objective is to efficiently deliver
services to the public.
Honest decisions and truthful implementation of law
do entail risks and difficulties in a society which fails to
respect the rule of law in letter and spirit. But civil serv-
ants are mandated to serve without discrimination and to
deliver justice efficiently without fear or favour.
The bureaucrat is responsible for examining each pro-
posal on merit keeping public interest supreme for decision
by the political establishment. He is within his power to
convey his inability to implement illegal orders or resub-
mit the proposal if the executive decisions are devoid of
merit.
Suffering cannot be reckoned in terms of transfers and
being shunted to peripheral posts for some time. These are
simply tools deployed by the polity to subjugate bureau-
cracy. It is neither the post nor tenure that defines the con-
tributions of a bureaucrat; what counts is quality and quan-
tity of work done with systemic improvements. Honesty is
priceless, with no trade-offs. An honest person may face
occasional scrutiny, but in the long run he can’t lose. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 75
BIG ISSUE
BIG Police Reforms: An Indispensable
ISSUE Need for India
The recent incident of communal riots in capital city
and its improper handling has brought the issue of police
reforms at centre stage of the governance discourse of the
country. Experts are debating about the delay in enforcing
standard operating procedure for managing a communal
flare-up and curtailing its escalation from becoming a full-
fledged riot. Apart from it, there are widespread allega-
tions and criticism of political bias and partisan behaviour
of Delhi police while managing the Delhi riots. It raises
serious question over the professional character of police
establishment and warrants urgent reforms to uphold its
accountability, transparency, impartiality and public trust.
Major Issues with Police
Various expert bodies have examined issues with
police organisation and its functioning, over the last few
decades, and some of the prominent issues found are fol-
lowing:
• Lack of Accountability: Police forces have the au-
thority to exercise force to enforce laws and maintain
law and order in a state.  However, this power may be
misused in several ways.  For example, in India, vari-
ous kinds of complaints are made against the police
including complaints of unwarranted arrests, unlawful
searches, torture and custodial rapes. To check against
such abuse of power, various countries have adopted
safeguards, such as accountability of the police to the
political executive, internal accountability to senior
police officers, and independent police oversight au-
thorities.
• Political Bias: Both the central and state police forces
come under the control and superintendence of the po-
litical executive (i.e., central or state government).  The
Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2007)
has noted that this control has been abused in the past
by the political executive to unduly influence police
personnel, and have them serve personal or political
interests. This interferes with professional decision-
making by the police (e.g., regarding how to respond to
law and order situations or how to conduct investiga-
tions), resulting in biased performance of duties.
• Failing Police Chain of Command: The police chain
of command does not really function because the sub-
ordinate police officers cultivate MLAs and Ministers
to intervene on their behalf particularly in their post-
ings to different appointments. In several cities, Station
76 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
House Officers are transferred within a year or some-
times even before they get familiar with their jurisdic-
tions. This hampers professional policing and investi-
gations which is to the disadvantage of the common
man. In January 2020, a highly organised syndicate
involved in transfer-posting racket to the government,
was busted in Uttar Pradesh, which aptly showcases
the falling chain of command of police administration.
• Vacancies and Shortage of Manpower: Vacancies
have been around 24%-25% in state police forces since
2009.  States with the highest vacancies in 2016 were
Uttar Pradesh (50%), Karnataka (36%), West Bengal
(33%), Gujarat (32%) and Haryana (31%). While the
United Nations recommended standard is 222 police
per lakh persons, India’s sanctioned strength is 181
police per lakh persons. After adjusting for vacancies,
the actual police strength in India is at 137 police per
lakh persons.  Therefore, an average policeman ends
up having an enormous workload and long working
hours, which negatively affects his efficiency and per-
formance.
• Intelligence Reforms: Currently, the police leadership
helms the intelligence agencies of the country. Both the
internal and external intelligence agencies are predom-
inantly staffed with police officers and there have been
several acts of omission and commission. As much as
the police as an institution requires reforms to insulate
it from political interference, the intelligence agencies
too merit a review in terms of accountability, staffing
and operations. Unlike the police whose performance
is tangible, the intelligence agencies’ work remains in-
visible and away from public gaze.
• Poor Crime Investigation  and Low Conviction
Rate: Crime investigation requires skills and training,
time and resources, and adequate forensic capabilities
and infrastructure.  However, the Law Commission
and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission
have noted that state police officers often neglect this
responsibility because they are understaffed and over-
burdened with various kinds of tasks. Further, they
lack the training and the expertise required to conduct
professional investigations.  They also have insuf-
ficient legal knowledge (on aspects like admissibility
of evidence) and the forensic and cyber infrastructure
available to them is both inadequate and outdated.

In India, crime rate has increased by 28% over the
last decade, and the nature of crimes is also becoming
more complex (e.g., with emergence of various kinds
of cybercrimes and economic fraud). Conviction rates
(convictions secured per 100 cases) however have been
fairly low.  In 2015, the conviction rate for crimes re-
corded under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 was 47%.
The Law Commission has observed that one of the rea-
sons behind this is the poor quality of investigations.
• Police-Public Relations: Police requires the confi-
dence, cooperation and support of the community to
prevent crime and disorder.  For example, police per-
sonnel rely on members of the community to be in-
formers and witnesses in any crime investigation.  Singh vs. Union of India, Supreme Court had tried to use
Therefore, police-public relation is an important con-
cern in effective policing.  The Second Administra-
tive Reforms Commission has noted that police-public
relations is in an unsatisfactory state because people
view the police as corrupt, inefficient, politically parti-
san and unresponsive.
• Lack of Infrastructure: The existing police infra-
structure is also inadequate to cater to the needs of
the police force. The police machinery is still using
obsolete and outdated weapons. The Comptroller and
Auditor General (CAG) in its report also highlighted
that the force continues to depend on outdated and un-
serviceable weapons. The CAG report attributed this
to the slow weapons acquisition process from ordnance
factories.  Police mobility is another issue, which has
been hampered by the shortage of police vehicles. The
CAG reported that there is very little increment in ve-
hicle availability and there is a shortage of drivers too.  ings, transfers and promotions for officers below the
This compromises the swiftness of action and increas-
es the response time of the police force.
• Poor Communication Network: Another problem-
atic area relates to the communication networks. In an
era of ICT, the police system is still struggling to get
proper communication network. The Bureau of Police
Research and Development (BPR&D) data shows that
across all States and UTs, there are 51 police stations
which have neither telephones nor wireless sets.  The
CAG report stated that the Police Telecommunication
Network (POLNET), which is used in crime investi-
gation and transmission of crime related data, is non-
functional in certain States. The Crime and Criminal
Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) was envis-
aged to link every single police station in the country.
Bihar and Rajasthan are still lagging in project imple-
mentation.
Committees and Recommendations for Re-
forms
The panacea to these problems related to police re-
POLICE REFORMS
form has been debated for decades with no results. From
time to time, several commissions have looked into the
reform processes. Till now, six committees, including the
National Police Commission, have been set up by the gov-
ernment which have unanimously made recommendations
in favour of major police reforms. These include the Gore
Committee on Police Training (1971-73), the Ribeiro
Committee on Police Reforms (1998), the Padmanab-
haiah Committee on Police Reforms (2000), the Group
of Ministers on National Security (2000-01), and the
Malimath Committee on Reforms of Criminal Justice
System (2001-03). But their recommendations remain on
paper only. Later, while addressing the case of Prakash
the recommendations of aforementioned commissions, in
order to wipe out these issues associated with the police
administration in India.
Directions of the Supreme Court in Prakash
Singh vs Union of India
The Supreme Court in 2006 also came up with a land-
mark judgment in the Prakash Singh Case, where the
court made seven-point directives to the Center and State
governments.
• State Security Commission: Constitute a State Se-
curity Commission in every state that will lay down
policy for police functioning, evaluate police perfor-
mance, and ensure that state governments do not exer-
cise unwarranted influence on the police.
• Police Establishment Board: Constitute a Police Es-
tablishment Board in every state that will decide post-
rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, and make
recommendations to the state government for officers
of higher ranks.
• Police Complaints Authorities: Constitute Police
Complaints Authorities at the state and district levels
to inquire into allegations of serious misconduct and
abuse of power by police personnel.
• Minimum Tenure: Provide a minimum tenure of at
least two years for the DGP and other key police of-
ficers (e.g., officers in charge of a police station and
district) within the state forces, and the Chiefs of the
central forces to protect them against arbitrary trans-
fers and postings.
• Transparency in Appointment of DGP: Ensure that
the DGP of state police is appointed from amongst
three senior-most officers who have been empanelled
for the promotion by the Union Public Service Com-
mission on the basis of length of service, good record
and experience.
• Separation of Investigation from Law and Order
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 77
BIG ISSUE
Police: Separate the investigating police from the law
and order police to ensure speedier investigation, bet-
ter expertise and improved rapport with the people.
• National Security Commission: Constitute a National
Security Commission to shortlist the candidates for ap-
pointment as Chiefs of the central armed police forces.
Soli Sorabjee Committee and Model Police
Act, 2006
The central government set up the Police Act Draft-
ing Committee under the chairmanship of Soli Sorabjee
in 2005 to draft a new model police law that could replace
the Police Act, 1861.  The committee submitted the Model
Police Act in 2006, which was circulated to all the states
in 2006.  ing laws in light of new Model Police Act, 2006.
• Organisation and recruitment: Each state will have
one police service, which shall be headed by the DGP.  states and UTs (excluding Telangana), State Security
Direct recruitments to subordinate ranks (i.e. below
Deputy SP) will be made through a state level Police
Recruitment Board.  Recruitment to officers’ ranks
will be through the Union Public Service Commission
or State Public Service Commission.  • But, report also found that the composition and powers
• Responsibilities: The responsibilities of the police
serve will include: (i) enforcing the law impartially,
and protecting life, liberty and human rights, (ii) pre-
serving public order, and preventing terrorist, mili-
tant and other activities affecting internal security,
(iii) protecting public properties, (iv) preventing and
investigating crimes, (v) providing help in natural or
man-made disasters, (vi) collecting intelligence, etc.  • It shows hollowness and facade management on the
In police stations in urban areas and crime prone rural
areas, investigation of heinous and economic crimes
(e.g., murder, serious cases of cheating) will be carried
out by a Special Crime Investigation Unit, headed by
an officer at least of the rank of a Sub-Inspector.  Of-
ficers of these units will generally not be diverted for
any other duty.
• Accountability:  The state government will exercise
superintendence over the police service.  This will
include laying down policies and guidelines, setting
standards for quality policing, and ensuring that the
police perform their duties in a professional manner. 
State Police Boards will be constituted in each state
to frame guidelines, select officers who are qualified
to be promoted to rank of DGP, and evaluate police
performance.  Police Accountability Commissions
will also be set up by states to address complaints of
police misconduct.  However key police functionar-
ies (e.g., DGP and police station in charge) will have
a minimum tenure of two years unless they have been
convicted by a court, or suspended from service, etc.  high time that we freed the police from the clutches of po-
• Service Conditions: The state government will ensure
that the average hours of duty of a police officer do not
78 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
exceed 8 hours (in exceptional situations, 12 hours). 
Adequate insurance coverage will also be provided to
personnel against any injury disability or death caused
in line of duty.  A Police Welfare Board must also be
set up to administer and monitor welfare measures for
police, including medical assistance, group housing,
and legal aid for officers facing court proceedings.
Status of Implementation
• Till today, 17 states (Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,
Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, and Uttara-
khand) have passed new laws or amended their exist-
• According to a report of the NITI Aayog (2016), of 35
Commissions had been set up in all but two states, and
Police Establishments Boards in all states. The two
states in which the State Security Commissions were
not set up by were Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha. 
of the State Security Commissions and the Police Es-
tablishment Boards were at variance with the Supreme
Court directions.  For example, in states such as Bihar,
Gujarat and Punjab, the State Security Commission
were dominated by government and police officers. 
Further, many of these Commissions did not have the
power to issue binding recommendations.
part of government as they paid lip service to the genu-
ine need and alacrity of police reform in the country.
Whatever steps were taken on these recommendations,
they were diluted and altered to maintain the status
quo in the power balance between police and perma-
nent executive. This enables the executives to reduce
the police to mere tools in the hands of political leaders
to fulfil their vested interests.
• However, till date, most of the recommendations have
not seen the light of the day. It reflects the lack of po-
litical will and adamancy on the part of bureaucracy
to implement the order. Neither the politicians nor the
bureaucrats want to lose their control over the police.
Conclusion
All these challenges require immediate attention of
the governments — both at the Centre and the State level.
The political leadership needs to understand that the di-
lapidated condition of the police system will negatively
impact upon the security and integrity of the nation. It is
litical masters and transform it from ‘Ruler’s Police’ to
‘People’s Police.’ nn

POLICY
ANALYSIS COVID 19: A Biological Disaster
21st century is marred by the outbreak of
various zoonotic diseases. Be it the Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola
haemorrhagic fever, Nipah virus encephalitis,
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS),
Swine Flu (H1N1) or Bird Flu (H5N1). They
have resulted in millions of fatalities around
the globe. The new addition in this line is the
new strain of coronavirus i.e. SARS-CoV2
which has resulted into COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 pandemic is notified as ‘’bio-
logical’’ disaster by the government of India.
Hence it is important to understand the mean-
ing of “biological disaster” and assess India’s
preparedness with respect to handling of a “biological di-
saster”.
What is a Biological Disaster?
As per National Disaster Management Act (2005),
Biological Disasters are “causative of process or phenom-
enon of organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors,
including exposure to pathogenic micro-organisms, toxins
and bioactive substances that may cause loss of life, injury,
illness or other health impacts, property damage, loss of
livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption,
or environmental damage.
Examples of biological disasters include outbreaks of
epidemic diseases, plant or animal contagion, insect or
other animal plagues and infestation. Biological disasters
may be in the form of – Epidemic and Pandemic.
Means to Counter Biological Disaster
As per the constitutional norms, health is a state sub-
ject. The primary responsibility of dealing with a biologi-
cal disaster rests with the state government. There are a
number of legislations that control and govern the nation’s
health. Government can enforce these legislations to con-
tain the spread of disease. Some of the commonly used
legal instruments are:
Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897
• It is a colonial act, still in force, which provides the
states to authorize any of its officers or agency to take
such measures for prevention and control of epidemics.
• Relevant provisions under the Civil Procedure Code
(CPC) and Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) can be
invoked to detain and question persons involved in
criminal acts which in its ambit includes bio-terrorism.
Other provisions under this act can be applied for es-
COVID-19
tablishing law and order, for enforcing quarantine etc.
• Public Health Emergencies Act (Draft) being drafted
by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare intends to
replace the Epidemic diseases Act 1897 and provides
for effective management of public health emergencies
including bio terrorism. The draft is presently being
modified after seeking comments of the states.
Environmental Protection Act 1986 and the rules
(1986)
• This act also provides for the Bio Medical Waste (man-
agement and handling) Rules of 1998 with a view to
control the indiscriminate disposal of hospital / bio-
medical waste. These rules apply to hospitals, nursing
homes, veterinary hospitals, animal houses, pathologi-
cal laboratories and blood banks generating bio medi-
cal waste.
National Disaster Management Act
• The Disaster Management Act of 2005 is the most im-
portant legal measure to deal with bio-defence. This
Act provides for effective management of disasters
and for all matters connected therewith or incidental
thereto.
• It provides for an institutional and operational frame-
work at all levels for disaster prevention, mitigation,
preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation.
This includes setting up of NDMA, SDMA, DDMA,
NEC, NDRF and NIDM. It also clearly spells out the
role of central ministries, state government and district
administration.
Infrastructure at National Level
At National level various institutions which are re-
sponsible to deal with biological disaster are as follows :
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 79
POLICY ANALYSIS
• National Disaster Management Authority: The Na-
tional Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is
responsible to
• Lay down policies on Disaster Management;
• Approve the National Plan;
• Approve plans prepared by the Ministries or De-
partments of the Govt. of India in accordance with
the National Plan;
• Lay down guidelines to be followed by State Au-
thorities in drawing up the State Plan;
• Lay down guidelines to be followed by the differ-
ent Ministries or Departments of the Govt. of India
for the purpose of integrating the measures for pre-
vention of disaster or the mitigation of its effects in
their development plans and projects; etc.
• National Executive Committee: The NDMA is as-
sisted by a National Executive Committee consisting
of secretaries of 14 ministries as provided under the
Disaster Management Act.
• National Crisis Management Committee: National
Crisis Management Committee under the Cabinet Sec-
retary is mandated to coordinate and monitor response
to crisis situations which include disasters. The NCMC
provides effective coordination and implementation of
response and relief measures in the wake of disasters.
• Security Forces: Armed forces by their inherent or-
ganization, infrastructure, training, leadership, com-
munications etc are ideally suited as “First Respond-
ers” in any natural and manmade disaster. Since this
type of “Disaster” would be more towards the manage-
ment of providing immediate medical assistance, the
nodal agency to co-ordinate and provide assistance as
“First Responders” would be orchestrated by the Di-
rector General Armed Forces Medical Services (DG
AFMS), who should include certain additional points
in the existing SOPs for providing aid to civil authori-
ties. These would be in the form of earmarking Com-
mand wise response, relating to assigned areas of re-
sponsibilities.
• Various Ministries and Scientific Institutions: Vari-
ous Ministries and Scientific Institutions include-
• Ministry of Home Affairs: Ministry of Home Af-
fairs is the nodal ministry for bio terrorism, biolog-
ical disaster and partners with Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in its management.
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:
MoHFW is the nodal ministry for epidemics. The
decision-making body is the Crisis Management
Group under Secretary (H&FW) which is advised
by Technical Advisory Committee under Director
General of Health Services.
• National Centre of Communicable Disease: The
Centre has three technical centres, viz., “Centre
80 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
for Epidemiology and Parasitic Diseases”, “Ad-
vanced Centre for HIV/AIDS & related diseases”
and “Centre for Medical Entomology & Vector
Management”. The functions of the Centre broad-
ly cover three areas, viz., trained health manpower
development, outbreak investigations, specialized
services and operational/ applied research. It also
provides training in field epidemiology.
• National Institute of Epidemiology: It focusses
on goal-oriented programs of national relevance,
operational research, health systems research,
teaching and field epidemiology training.
Infrastructure at State Level
At State level various institutions which are responsi-
ble to deal with biological disaster are as follows:
• State Disaster Management Authority: The State
Disaster Management Authority is vested with the
powers for planning, preparedness, mitigation and re-
sponse to disaster events in the concerned states in-
cluding biological disasters. SDMA is assisted by the
SEC (State Executive Committee). The state plan is
prepared by SEC based on the guidelines issued by
NDMA & SDMA.
• Various Labs, Medical Colleges and State Depart-
ments: Health being the state matter, there is wide in-
ter and intra state differential in terms of public health
assets, functioning of the public health departments,
teaching training institutions and public health re-
search.
Infrastructure at District Level
At District level various institutions which are re-
sponsible to deal with biological disaster are as follows:
• District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA):
It is the focal point for planning for the disasters in
their respective districts.
• The District Head Officer (DHO)/Chief Medical
Officer (CMO) of the district is a member of the
DDMA.
• Under the CMO/ DHO, there are program officers
for immunization, tuberculosis and malaria. Un-
der the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program
(IDSP), a surveillance/ IDSP officer at district lev-
el is envisaged.
• The peripheral units that provide preventive and
promotive health care are the primary health cen-
tres and the sub-centres spread across the district
established on population norms [of one PHC for
30,000 thousand population and one sub centre for
5000 population (3000 in hilly areas)].
• These are the basic units from where public health
information is generated and public health service
delivery takes place.

• Local Disaster Management Committee: It is ex-
pected to be trained and empowered as first respond-
ers. The ASHA / ANM/ MPW of the village/ sub-
centre are the peripheral most health service delivery
points keeping a watch on the disease outbreaks and
notifying the Village Health and Sanitation committee
and the Primary Health Centre.
Non-governmental Organizations
Nongovernmental organizations form an important
part of civil society. Mostly consisting of people who are
socially aware and have lot of flair for public service, they
try to supplement the effort of the government delivery
system.
Though these NGOs are quite forthcoming for ex-
tending help to the government agencies during natural
calamities, their help in case of biological disaster is not
guaranteed because of the fear factor associated with such
emergencies. It is therefore important to have periodic li-
aison with such groups and train them so that they can act
as force multipliers towards government effort of disaster
mitigation.
Issues Pertaining to Management of Biologi-
cal Disasters
Managing biological disasters could be tricky due to
various issues acting as a constraint which includes,
• No Separate Policy on Biological Disasters: At the
national level, there is no policy on biological disasters.
The existing contingency plan of MoHFW is about 10
years old and needs extensive revision. All compo-
nents related to public health, namely apex institutions,
field epidemiology, surveillance, teaching, training, re-
search, etc., need to be strengthened.
• Shortage of Medical and Paramedical Staff: There
is a shortage of medical and paramedical staff at the
district and sub-district levels. There is also an acute
shortage of public health specialists, epidemiologists,
clinical microbiologists and virologists.
• Limited Medical Supplies: State-run hospitals have
limited medical supplies. Even in normal situations, a
patient has to buy medicines. There is a lack of stock-
pile of drugs, important vaccines like anthrax vac-
cine, Personal Protective Equipment’s or diagnostics
for surge capacity. In a crisis situation there is further
incapacitation due to tedious procurement procedures.
• Bio-safety Laboratories: Biosafety laboratories are
required for the prompt diagnosis of the agents for ef-
fective management of biological disasters. There is no
BSL-4 laboratory in the human health sector. BSL- 3
laboratories are also limited. Major issues remain re-
garding biosecurity, the indigenous capability of pre-
paring diagnostic reagents and quality assurance.
• Colonial Relic and Outdated laws: Until proclama-
COVID-19
tion of National Disaster Management Act, the meas-
ures to counter COVID-19 were taken as per an 1897
statute (Epidemic Diseases Act).
• Inadequate R&D: The most important aspect to coun-
ter biological disaster is – preparedness. Low Research
and Development in biotechnology and bio-medics re-
sults into lack of preparedness.
Solutions
Following measures must be adopted to counter bio-
logical disasters better,
• Adopting Proper Approach
• ‘Prevention-Mitigation-Rehabilitation’ ap-
proach must be properly implemented.
• In biological disasters, preparedness includes –
proper environment management i.e. Safe water
supply, proper maintenance of sewage pipelines
and Awareness of personal hygiene and provision
for washing, cleaning, bathing, avoiding over-
crowding; R&D in bio-medics, biotechnology
etc.
• Mitigation includes proper disease surveillance
systems (for detection and containment of disease),
institutional co-ordination, adequate medical re-
sources etc.
• Rehabilitation would include post disaster ac-
tivities like resettling displaced communities and
ensuring their sustenance.
• National Policy on Biological Disaster: A national
policy specific to biological disaster would help to ad-
dress technicalities involved and define proper role of
institutions involved in management.
• More Budgetary Allocation: Enhance budgetary
allocation to increase spending in areas like R&D in
bio-medics, improving doctor per population ratio, en-
hancing number of paramedics etc.
• Ensuring Institutional Co-ordination: Facilitate
vertical and horizontal linkages between government
departments, scientific and technical institutions,
NGOs, CSOs and local bodies.
Conclusion
In terms of bio-defence preparedness, India has taken
the basic precautions and has an elementary structure in
place. Not only legal structures, India has also established
a vast network of institutions from civil defence at the lo-
cal bodies level to the military and para-military forces at
the national level.
The problem in India’s bio-defence mechanism is in
terms of coordination between the various agencies, lack
of medical resources and proper action plan. This inad-
equate state of bio-defence preparedness needs to be over-
hauled on a war footing to deal with any future exigency
because time and tide will wait for none. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 81
ISSUE ANALYSIS
ISSUE Should India Rethink
ANALYSIS
Death Penalty?
The high voltage drama witnessed up till the very last
moment when the four convicts of Nirbhaya Case were
brought to the noose makes us rethink if it is time for In-
dia to do away with Death Penalty (Capital Punishment or
Judicial Killing) as a tool of bringing convicts to justice?
There have been rumblings from both the sides- pro or
anti-death penalty which warrants a thorough examination
of the issue.
Arguments Against Death Penalty
Does Not Deter Crime: As a punishment, the death
penalty makes no sense. Most of the civilised world has
abolished it. India certainly does not need it as it serves
no purpose. No study has shown that the death penalty
deters rape more than life imprisonment. The evidence is
all to the contrary. For instance, as per the NCRB report
2018 Women reported almost 34,000 rapes in 2018, barely
changed from the year before.For deterrence to work, the
severity of the punishment has to coexist with the certain-
ty and swiftness of the punishment.
Error-Ridden and Irreversible: The death penalty is
error-ridden. Between January 1, 2000 and June 31, 2015,
the Supreme Court imposed 60 death sentences. It subse-
quently admitted that it had erred in 15 of them (25%).
Can this miscarriage of justice be amended ever? And
that too based on evidence collected, or fabricated, by a
police force not known for its probity or efficiency? The
death penalty by its very nature, excludes the possibility of
making amends in case of a miscarriage of justice as death
forecloses that possibility.
Unfairly Targets Economically and Socially Poor:
The death penalty unfairly targets the poor and margin-
alised. Penurious prisoners on legal aid get it the most,
while others with private lawyers remain untouched. A
recent research by Project 39A at the National Law Uni-
versity of Delhi has demonstrated how a disproportionate
majority of convicts who are awarded the death penalty
belong to economically and socially marginalised classes
— that is, the most vulnerable members of society due to
factors like: lack of access to proper legal representation
(especially at the level of the trial courts); lack of access to
social and cultural capital; and so on.
Imposed Arbitrarily and Judge-Centric : The death
penalty is impossible to administer fairly or rationally. The
Supreme Court has repeatedly admitted that it has arbi-
trarily imposed this most extreme punishment. Executions
occurred in 5.2 cases for every 1 lakh murders. The se-
lection of the punishment depends overwhelmingly on the
82 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
adjudicator’s personal beliefs i.e. it is judge-centric rather
than principle-centric. Judges opposed to it never gave a
death sentence; those in favour doled it out. Abolitionist
Presidents (S. Radhakrishnan and A.P. J. Abdul Kalam)
refused to reject mercy petitions, while others, differently
inclined, readily denied clemency. Should the killing of a
human being depend on the philosophy of a particular in-
dividual?
Financial Prudence: Abolishing the death penalty
will ease, not enhance, the tax-payer’s burden. The annual
cost of maintaining a prisoner is about Rs.30,000. The
hangman is paid more, and we also save on the protracted
litigation that death cases involve.
Retributive Justice: Constitutional, legal and policy
issues cannot be determined by the victim’s understand-
able hunger for revenge without leading to a frenzy where
the death penalty is demanded, as it often is, for wholly
inappropriate cases (accidental deaths, cheating, etc.). This
tantamount to nothing but retributive justice. Punish, yes,
but why in the same cold-blooded, premeditated and brutal
manner as the prisoner killed his or her victim? Punish-
ment should not imitate crime.
A Safer Country: As per the NCRB 2018 Report
the crime rate per lakh population has come down from
388.6 in 2017 to 383.5. And this is not because of the death
penalty whose infrequent and arbitrary implementation
has made no real difference. Studies show that a more
equal sex ratio has more to do with declining murder rates
than killing murderers.
Trauma for All: Nobody wants to undergo the trauma
of administering the death penalty — not the higher courts
and not the hapless prison staff who have to see a human
being die gasping at the end of a rope. Governments kill
prisoners to show that they are tough on crime. There is
nothing muscular or tough about killing a man who is at
your mercy.
Problems in Implementation: The structural flaws
in our criminal procedure and criminal justice system are
most pronounced in death penalty cases. Due to biases in
criminal investigations, the marginalised — whether by
religious and caste denominations, or class — are dispro-
portionately subject to the death penalty. And delays in
the criminal justice system disproportionately affect those
who suffer the tyranny of the uncertainty of their life.
India also retains the death penalty as an option for non-
homicide offences where the instrumentality argument is
the most attenuated. Even so, the Supreme Court upheld it,

as recently as 2015, for kidnapping with ransom.
Human Rights Issue: Under Article 3 of the Uni-
versal Declaration of Human Rights, life is a human right
which should be protected by the state. But death penalty
is the denial of this very fundamental principle of human
right. The moral foundation of judicial killing has been
questioned and it has been judged untenable in many coun-
tries. In 2007, the UN General Assembly passed a resolu-
tion calling for a moratorium on the administration of the
death penalty by the 59 countries that still retained it. India
is one of them, even if it does not employ it as frequently
as countries such as Iran, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
and the U.S.
Arguments in Favour of Death Penalty
The death penalty has been criticised for far too long
without an understanding of its nuances. It is criticised
mainly on three counts: arbitrariness, irreversibility and
human rights. However, the punishment passes muster on
all accounts. Its constitutionality has not only been upheld
in India but also in the bastion of liberal democracy that is
the U.S. The retention of the death penalty is not a reflec-
tion of “uncivilised” polity in theocratic states that have
come to be defined by violence but a creation of the indi-
vidual geopolitical circumstances of each state, its impact
on others etc.
Geopolitical Circumstances: India’s neighbourhood
is not peaceful, unlike Scandinavia, and it does not form a
supranational conglomerate of nations that facilitate com-
mon growth, unlike the European Union. On the contrary,
every day vested interests attempt to destabilise the very
idea of our nation from across every border it shares. It
is this peculiar nature of India’s polity that must inform
any debate for abolition. As noted by the Law Commis-
sion of India in its 262nd Report, cases of violent terror are
constant reminders of the need to protect national stability
by ensuring appropriate responses to such actions, and the
death penalty forms part of the national response.
Impact on Innocent: A punishment cannot be judged
by its impact on criminals but by its impact on those who
are still innocent. The punishment itself is a reflection of
societal mores. It determines that there are certain acts
which the society so essentially abhors that they justify
SHOULD INDIA RETHINK DEATH PENALTY
the taking of the most crucial of rights – the right to life.
For, the state acknowledges that the sacredness of life can
only be seen to be protected if those who take it away are
proportionately punished.
Rarest of Rare Cases Only: The punishment is not
arbitrary because it comes out of a judicial process. In the
cases of the death penalty, the courts have made sure that
caution is exercised in giving the punishment. They are
conscious of its irreversibility and have therefore restricted
it to only rarest of rare cases that shock the conscience of
society.
Constitutional Scepticism
India has looked to the judicial administration of death
with greater constitutional scepticism.
In 1962, the Law Commission supported the death
penalty stating that India’s particular circumstances were
such that it could not “experiment” with its abolition. In
1991, the Supreme Court cited its use in defending law and
order as the reason for its continuance. Its alleged useful-
ness extends from being a potential deterrent to serving as
a primordial need for retribution.
In 1980, in Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab, Consti-
tution Bench while articulating the “rarest of rare” thresh-
old stated that “judges should never be bloodthirsty”.
Death must only be imposed where the alternative option
is unquestionably foreclosed.
The question is, under what circumstances are the re-
tributive and deterrent effects of a life in prison so cer-
tainly insufficient that death is the only answer? And can
such an answer be delivered without human error?
Conclusion
Political will in India is still bound by populism. How-
ever, the constitutionality of the death penalty will con-
tinue to be challenged and, sooner or later, the Supreme
Court will have to answer whether absence of political will
is sufficient ground to override the right to life.
Also, even if public opinion in India currently favours
the death penalty, the move towards a more enlightened
approach will have to be initiated in the Parliament even-
tually. As India endeavours to play a stronger role in world
politics, it is time to rethink its stand on the death penalty
with more clarity. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 83
ISSUE ANALYSIS
ISSUE Post COVID-19 : Can the World
ANALYSIS Forgive China?
Reports that the death toll in Wuhan may have been
many, many times higher than the 2,535 revealed, will feed
into the narrative demanding accountability from China
on account of the Covid-19 spread.
As a Chinese diplomat in India has put it, ‘China nei-
ther created the virus nor intentionally transmitted it.’
Also, the Chinese instituted an unprecedented lockdown
of an entire province and took what the diplomat said were
‘most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures’.
True, but early action could have checked its spread dra-
matically. The authorities in the city were aware of the vi-
rus by around mid-December, but orders for a lockdown
were only issued on January 23. Timely action was sac-
rificed to what the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) calls
‘social stability’, and the early whistle-blowers were pun-
ished for broadcasting information on it.
Changing Geo-Political Relations
As US President has said, “The world is paying a big
price” for China’s initial, weeks-long cover-up of the Co-
vid-19 outbreak in Wuhan city and other parts of Hubei
province. The incalculable human and economic toll ex-
acted by the spread of the novel coronavirus from China
promises to shake up global geopolitics, including China’s
position in the world. With the 21-day India lockdown—
the largest national shutdown in history—nearly half of
the global population is now under some form of lock-
down, thanks to China’s disastrous, initial missteps that
allowed the deadly virus to spread far and wide.
After the global crisis is over, the West’s relationship
with China is unlikely to go back to normal. Efforts are
expected to begin to loosen China’s grip on global sup-
ply chains. Moves are already afoot in the US Congress to
bring manufacture of essential medicines back to the US,
which currently relies on China for 97 per cent of all its
antibiotics.
But from here to raise the demand for compensation or
reparations is another thing. When it comes to reparations,
maybe some others would also be on the list. In the 1960s,
the US used Agent Orange, a chemical that destroyed
nearly 5 million acres of forest and exposed millions of
Vietnamese to its effects. And then, there is the Iraq War
of 2003, based on fictitious premises, that devastated an
entire nation and led to tens of thousands of deaths.
Yes, the Chinese must be held to account in a man-
ner that will encourage them to change their systems and
protocols and provide a learning experience to the rest of
the world. We have yet to hear the final word on Covid-19.
84 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
But for the US and China, this is not merely about
scoring debating points, but part of a more ruthless geopo-
litical competition.
The competition now has two pressing aspects. One is
in the realm of technology, where the US is determined to
ensure its superiority. While China may take the lead in a
few areas like 5G, there is nothing to indicate that the US
can be bested in its overall superiority in the realm of sci-
ence and technology in the next decade and more.
The other aspect is the military competition in East
Asia. Since 1950, the US maintained a deployment close
to China, buttressed by its alliances with South Korea, Ja-
pan, Taiwan and the Philippines. Despite US complaints
about being taken for a ride by its allies, nothing really
has changed here, indeed, it now also has the advantage of
having a friendly Vietnam as well.
The increasingly powerful Chinese military may be
able to keep the US some distance from its shores, but be-
yond that the US remains, and will remain, the dominant
power for the foreseeable future.
The international community is now confronted by a
prolonged public health emergency whose contours and
impact are not even vaguely known at the moment. An
equally paralysing and fearful consequence is the global
economic slowdown as a direct result of China’s irrespon-
sible domestic and international behaviour. A less than
inspiring response to the outbreak in the US and much of
Europe will likely whitewash China’s offences against the
international community in the short term, but the long
term implications will last.
Aspersions on WHO
Covid-19, meanwhile, has cast an unflattering light
on the only institution tasked with providing global health
leadership, the World Health Organization (WHO). Under
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s first chief who is
not a medical doctor, the institution’s credibility has taken
a severe beating.
Tedros, who served as Ethiopia’s health minister and
then foreign minister, has mismanaged WHO’s efforts to
contain Covid-19, declaring it a pandemic only on March
11th, weeks after the virus had spread across the world.
This contrasts with the alacrity with which he has defend-
ed China’s Covid-19 response at every stage.
In fact, before China came clean, Tedros actively aid-
ed CPC’s efforts to ‘play down the severity, prevalence and
scope of the COVID-19 outbreak. When countries like the
US, Italy and India banned travel to or from China, Tedros

publicly opposed such restrictions on February 4th, warn-
ing that they will have “the effect of increasing fear and
stigma, with little public-health benefit.” He has further
politicised WHO’s role in the current crisis by lavishing
praise on Xi, saying he has displayed “a very rare leader-
ship,” and paying tribute to Chinese “transparency,” de-
spite the CPC’s intrinsic aversion to transparency.
China’s Response
The lesson from SARS—the first pandemic of the
21st century—was that state transparency and early and
accurate public warning are essential to fight the major
outbreak of any disease. When the outbreak occurred in
Wuhan, China acted decisively not against the virus but
against the whistle-blowers
China’s primary motivation throughout has been to
avoid any responsibility or accountability by deflecting
blame and suppressing criticism since day one. So effec-
tive has the Chinese campaign been that even foreign gov-
ernments have remained largely silent about China’s role.
The instinct of any totalitarian state like China is to cover
up anything that might require them to take responsibility.
With the help of the CPC’s propaganda organs, Beijing
is trying to fashion a narrative that China is an example
of how to control the spread of Covid-19. In fact, like the
arsonist offering to extinguish the fire it started, China is
now seeking to help other countries combat a dangerous
pathogen after its own gross negligence led to that virus
spreading across the globe.
The attempt clearly is to deflect liability for a global
crisis whose costs continue to mount. After all, if any other
country had sparked such a mammoth international crisis,
it would now be in the global doghouse.
Beijing’s proactive attempt to rewrite the history of the
pandemic, even as much of the world grapples with its es-
calating consequences, highlights its well-oiled machine.
POST COVID-19
Yet, when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Wuhan,
China acted decisively not against the virus but against
the whistle-blowing doctors, eight of whom were detained.
This underscores that, for the world’s strongest and rich-
est dictatorship, power and control take precedence over
everything else, including human lives.
Having spawned the global coronavirus crisis, China
is now planning to exploit the financial and other disrup-
tions that the pandemic has engendered. It is hoping to
game the situation in order to gain greater technological
and industrial advantage.
China is now seeking to aggressively rebrand itself
as the global leader in combating a virus that spread in-
ternationally from its own territory. Beijing’s industrial
prowess and control over critical supply chains, including
medical supplies, have also added a geo-economic element
to the pandemic. It has raced to be seen as providing public
goods when other powers are faltering.
Its rebranding effort includes counter-pandemic aid to
developing countries, a pledge to donate $20 million to the
WHO and a massive PR campaign, which extends from a
claim to have fully contained the coronavirus in its worst-
affected areas to disseminating plain disinformation so as
to obscure its disastrous missteps that gifted the world a
horrendous pandemic. But the international anger over its
role in triggering the pandemic could frustrate its plans.
Lesson for the World
The pandemic’s lesson for many countries is that, in
an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world,
China’s secrecy and obfuscation are antithetical to globali-
sation and international security. Transparency is essential
to make us all safer. China cannot have its cake and eat it
too. It must fundamentally reform and abide by interna-
tional norms. If the pandemic upends the world order as
we know it, China’s role will be a key trigger. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 85
VIEWPOINT
VIEW- Prospects of Online Education and
POINT SWAYAM in India — By Rishabh Srivastava
Ministry of HRD (Human Resources Department) on March 28, 2020 announced that access to the national
online education platform SWAYAM and other digital initiatives has tripled (predominantly after the severe
impact of Corona Virus spread at the global level). Therefore, now it is the time to revisit the online education
support systems in India.
Status of Online Education in India
As per a report released by KPMG India and Google,
Online Education in India: 2021, the market for online
education in India is expected to witness a magnificent
growth of eight times in three years, i.e., from USD 247
million in 2016 to USD 1.96 billion in 2021. Such high
growth in online education market is projected to be the
outcome of increased number of paid online education us-
ers from 1.57 million in 2016 to 9.5 million in 2021.
According to KPMG report, online higher education
in India is at an early stage of development and has wit-
nessed emergence of different private universities offering
UG and PG e-learning courses to students. However, as
compared to graduation and diploma courses, the demand
for online higher education is dominated by post-gradua-
tion courses such as MBA and MCA.
Online Education: Why it is Gaining Popularity?
As per KPMG report, there are many reasons why
students and working professionals are moving towards e-
learning/ online education:
• Internet Penetration: India has an internet pen-
etration of about 31% today, which means 409 million
internet users. It is predicted that by 2021, there will be
nearly 735 million internet users in India, which will
lead to increase in traffic for online education players.
• Smartphone Penetration: Currently, there are 290
million smartphone users in India and the user base is
expected to grow with the addition of another 180 mil-
lion new users by 2021.
• Flexibility of Time: This is specifically true for work-
ing professionals who have time constraints in pursu-
ing an offline course. Pursuing a course in online mode
allows a person to multi-task with other work and fam-
ily commitments.
• Quality Education: There are areas in India where
there is lack of quality offline education. For instance,
states such Bihar, Kerala as well as Jammu and Kash-
mir account for about four lakh distance education en-
rolments.
• Immediate Results: Online education allows candi-
dates to get immediate results for any test that they
appear for. This further helps them in preparing for
exams more efficiently.
• Government Initiatives: Government’s recent initia-
tives such as SWAYAM, e-Basta, and Digital India is
86 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
expected to strengthen the infrastructure needed by
students to pursue education in online mode.
• Study Material: A variety of online study material in
the form of videos and texts are encouraging students
to adopt online education platforms.
• Affordability: Online courses joined at UG or PG
level are much more affordable than traditional pro-
grammes.
What is SWAYAM?
• SWAYAM is the world’s biggest MOOC platform, a
program initiated by the Government of India. It is the
world’s largest initiative of its kind taken by any gov-
ernment to consolidate the education governing bodies
under one umbrella and make quality education acces-
sible to country’s residents free of cost.
• SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active - Learning for
Young Aspiring Minds) is a programme initiated by
Government of India and designed to achieve the three
cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., i) access,
ii) equity and iii) quality.
• The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching
learning resources to all, including the most disadvan-
taged. SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for
students who have hitherto remained untouched by the
digital revolution and have not been able to join the
mainstream of the knowledge economy.
• This is done through an indigenously developed IT plat-
form that facilitates hosting of all the courses taught in
classrooms to be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any
time. All the courses are interactive, prepared by the
best teachers in the country and are available, free of
cost to the residents in India.
• SWAYAM platform is developed by Ministry of Hu-
man Resource Development (MHRD) and NPTEL,
IIT Madras with the help of Google Inc. and Persistent
Systems Ltd. It would be ultimately capable of hosting
2000 courses and 80000 hours of learning: covering
school, under-graduate, post-graduate, engineering,
law and other professional courses.
Why Was Swayam Created?
• Swayam was founded with the ambitious goal to im-
prove the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) from 20 per-
cent to 30 percent by the year 2020. Its mission is to
bring high-quality education to the doorstep of every-
one in India.

• The country currently experiences an educational cri-
sis. The National Employability Report in 2016 stated
that merely 20 percent of India’s engineering graduates
were fully fit for employment and 53 percent of arts,
science and commerce graduates were considered not
employable.
• India also sees a lack of qualified educators.  Swayam still needs to learn a lot from its U.S. counter-
• Geographical barriers are another impediment to
education.
• Furthermore, many people cannot afford committing
to full-time higher education, because they need to
earn a living.
• How Can Swayam Solve the Educational Crisis?  ing and can make it slightly difficult reading the script
• Providing Technical Infrastructure: Swayam pro-
vides a platform for the online dissemination of
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), while the
universities and partner institutions focus on content
creation.  • Opaque Credit Scheme: It is not yet clear whether it
• Credit Transfer: The University Grants Commission
determined that universities must allow students to
transfer credits gained through Swayam to their uni-
versity degree. This enhances the respectability of on-
line courses and their usefulness.  • Lower Internet Penetration: Access to Internet is
• Quality Control: Technical expertise comes from Mi-
crosoft. Swayam holds training programs at local cent-
ers to improve teacher quality and faculty expertise.
To avoid plagiarism, exams take place at designated
exam centers.
• Funding: Swayam is fully state-funded and bears the
cost for all distribution as well as technical support and
maintenance.
Present Status of SWAYAM Initiative
• The data released from the Human Resource Devel-
opment Ministry in March, 2020, showed that about
50,000 people have accessed SWAYAM since March
23 and this is over and above the 25 lakh students/
learners, who are already enrolled in the 571 courses
of the January 2020 semester of SWAYAM, which has
a repository of 1,900 courses which are now being ac-
cessed by people from over 60 countries.
• It highlighted that the growth on the online learning
platform has been seen after the government provid-
ed free access to best teaching learning resources at
SWAYAM while earlier the courses of SWAYAM were
time-bound for which registration needed to be done
in advance.
• While more than 90 per cent of traffic is from India,
countries including the US, UAE, Germany, Nepal, Sin-
gapore, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia showed
interest. Videos of the SWAYAM Prabha DTH TV
channels were viewed by around 50,000 people daily.
• The National Digital Library was now being accessed
by about 43,000 people daily which is more than dou-
ble of the usual number of persons accessing it. The
education portals of NCERT like Diksha, e-pathasala,
NROER and NIOS and the other ICT initiatives like
Robotics education (e-Yantra), Open Source Software
ONLINE EDUCATION
for Education (FOSSEE), virtual experiments (Virtual
Labs) and Learning programming (Spoken tutorial)
were also experiencing large access rates.
Challenges
• Poor Website Navigation: In terms of website design
parts such as Coursera and edX. Also, course search is
not intuitive enough.
• Course Material Not Always User Friendly: Some-
times it is not easy to see which of the written course
material belongs to which video lecture. This is confus-
while simultaneously watching the video lecture.
• Lack Policy Support: Government is yet to work out
a policy for recognition of the online examination and
other modes of evaluation.
would be possible for a student to earn credits from
MOOCs and combining credits from different institu-
tions to get a degree if prerequisites of the degree pro-
gramme are fulfilled (Meta University concept).
still limited in rural areas in India, so the SWAYAM
courses may have restrictive reach.
• Lesser Level of Capacity Building: Preparing the
faculty for MOOCs delivery is going to be a major
challenge requiring massive capacity building pro-
grammes.
Ways to Improve
• Quality books and study materials, the innovative, in-
teractive course materials must be provided so that the
two way – communication could be established and the
online material quality gets enhanced.
• The new education policy should be introduced as
soon as possible that should include the policy support
for the online education and also on the teachings on
digital platforms (YouTube etc.) in India.
• The internet infrastructure should be strengthened so
that uninterrupted data support can be provided to the
learners to access the online platforms with ease.
• Above all, most important improvement is required in
the digital literacy of the common masses in rural as
well as in urban areas of India. This will help in in-
creasing the number of users of the online courses for
educational purpose. In this context, Pradhan Mantri
Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) is a
right step to improve digital literacy.
Conclusion
Online Education is the future in the field of education
in the coming times with the digital revolution of the pres-
ent times. SWAYAM has a great potential to revolutionize
the educational processes and extend the reach to remote
corners of the country. With tactful handling of the issues
and challenges envisaged in the SWAYAM initiative, it
will go a long way in ensuring education for all. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 87
 Paper-IV
MAINS’ 2020
For Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
CASE STUDY
Pandemics bring ethical dilemmas into sharp, terrible
focus. Around the world, hospitals have been unable to
cope with the millions who need treatment for coronavirus.
China created makeshift hospitals and denied treatment to
those who needed non-coronavirus care; Italians wait an
hour on the phone to get through to emergency services.
Similarly, USA and UK are facing shortages of ICU beds
and ventilators for the increasing number of infections. In
such scenario doctors and medical professionals around
the world are facing an ethical dilemma of whom to treat
in case of resource constraint. In India too, the number
of coronavirus cases are increasing. Given the deplorable
state of health infrastructure in the country, suggest meas-
ures to cope with such ethical dilemma alongside listing
the ethical issues involved.
Framework of the Answer
Issues involved: Prioritizing life of an individual in
case of a pandemic.
Ethical Dilemma: Medical ethics v/s Standard op-
erating Procedures during crisis.
Values under question: Trust, compassion, med-
ical ethics, spirit and commitment to service, rule of
law and transparency.
Stakeholders: Medical personnel, Infected pa-
tients, Citizens, Government and Country at large.
Facts of the case
1. Rising number of coronavirus cases burdening the
healthcare infrastructure.
2. Ethical dilemma faced by medical professionals to pri-
oritize healthcare amongst infected.
Solutions to cope with crisis
1. Constituting a Commission to Draft Guidelines:
Due to resource constraints, it is necessary to use them
judiciously. Hence a commission with members from
Ministry of Health, Experts in the field of medical sci-
ence, professional ethical theorists should be constitut-
ed. The commission should draft guidelines to be fol-
lowed during such crisis. The commission must look
into the questions like what criteria be followed while
prioritizing treatment amongst infected patients. Some
of the approaches to consider –
(a) Utilitarianism: It argues that morality is deter-
88 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
mined by the consequences of actions, and so we
should strive to create the maximum good for the
maximum number of people. Here, prioritiza-
tion is favoured as for maximum good to be done
would result into minimum damage. Criteria like
age, prior medical condition etc. could be used to
demarcate patients.
(b) Contractarian: It argues that due to social con-
tract between a citizen and the state, an individual
must be given fair opportunity to represent his
case i.e. the social usefulness (e.g. a nurse could
be saved over others as she could help in treating
other patients) must be assessed and based on that
decision be made.
(c) Deontology: It argues that any form of discrimina-
tion must be avoided as each person is individually
valuable and hence, in case of dilemma, first-come
first serve, lottery etc. criteria be adopted for the
treatment.
1. Features of Guidelines
(a) The guidelines need not choose one but may be a com-
bination of varied criteria and could be listed as prima-
ry, secondary etc. to resolve dilemma in case of similar
factors.
(b) They must be transparent so that the public has faith
that the guidelines are fair and ethically justifiable.
Also, these guidelines must include instructions not
just for determining which patients to treat but how
long to treat them.
1. Make-shift Arrangements: Here, measures like ra-
tioning/sharing medical resources like ventilators
(on routinely assessing who needs it for how much
time); using idle government buildings, open spac-
es to construct isolation/quarantine wards; training
paramedics and volunteers in handling coronavirus
cases to overcome shortage of staff; and finally, invit-
ing private sector and civil society organizations to
participate and save lives etc. could be adopted.
2. Long-term Measures
(a) Increasing investment in healthcare infrastructure,
R&D in Science, to be prepared for such exigen-
cies in future.
contd. to page No. 91
 ITALY

MAP
STUDY Italy
Italy continuously reported the highest number of single-day death toll and has been termed as the new epicenter
of the pandemic that has claimed more than 37000 lives in the world so far (and more than 11500 death toll in
Italy alone). Therefore, from the map study point, Italy has become a new attraction.

Italy comprises some of the most varied and scenic
landscapes on Earth and is located in southern Europe
and comprises the long, boot-shaped Italian Peninsula, the
southern side of Alps, the large plain of the Po Valley and
some islands including Sicily and Sardinia.
Italy borders Switzerland, France, Austria and Slove-
nia. San Marino and Vatican City are enclaves. The total
border length is 1,836.4 km. Including islands, Italy has a
coastline of 7,600 km (4,700 mi) on the Adriatic Sea, Ioni-
an Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Sea of Sardinia and
Strait of Sicily. Corsica, although belonging to the Italian
geographical region, has been a part of France since 1769.
Italy is known for its Mediterranean climate, which
is found mainly on the coast. Inland it is generally cooler
and wetter but usually hotter during the summer. Southern
Italy has a hot and mostly dry climate while the north has
more of an Alpine climate, getting lots of snow in winter.
Volcanoes of Italy
Italy is a volcanically active country, containing the
only active volcanoes in mainland Europe. The country’s
volcanism is due chiefly to the presence, a short distance
to the south, of the boundary between the Eurasian Plate
and the African Plate.
Mount Vesuvius, in Naples, is the only active volcano
on mainland Europe. It is famous for the destruction of the
Roman town of Pompei. 
Stromboli is one of the Aeolian Islands, found off the

CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 89

MAP STUDY
north coast of Sicily, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is 926 metres
high and has been erupting almost constantly for the last
2,000 years.
Mount Etna is on the eastern side of Sicily. It is in an
almost constant state of activity, and is one of the most ac-
tive volcanoes in the world. At over 3,000 metres high, it is
the tallest, most active volcano on the European continent. 

Italy is also popular for skiing, with excellent value

and a stylish atmosphere.

Lakes
There are about 1,500 lakes in Italy. Most of these are
small Alpine lakes that are used for hydroelectric schemes.
Lake Garda is Italy’s biggest lake, situated in the north,
along with many others. That part of Italy is often known
as ‘The Italian Lake District’. There are also coastal la-
goons, such as Lakes Lesina and Varano in Puglia, and
lakes resulting from prehistoric faulting, such as Lake Al-
leghe, near Belluno. However lakes are also found in the
south, for example: Lake Trasimeno and Lake Bolsena.

Mountains
Italy is mostly mountainous with ranges of over 700
metres covering a third of the country. Much of Italy is
covered by mountains. The best known mountain ranges
are the Alps, the Dolomites and the Appenines. The Do-
lomite Mountains which extend across northern Italy are
part of the Alps mountain range. The Apennine mountains
cut down the center of Italy, stretching from north to south,
dividing the east and west coasts.
The Apennines form the backbone of the country run-
ning down the full length of the Italian peninsula from
the Cadibona Pass to the tip of Calabria, continuing on to
the island of Sicily. The range is about 2,000 kilometres
long. Although narrow at each end, only about 32 kilome-
tres wide, it is about 190 kilometres wide in the Central
Apennines, east of Rome, where the “Great Rock of Italy”
(Gran Sasso d’Italia) provides the highest Apennine peak
at 2,912 metres.

90 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020


Sea
The Italian Peninsula is a boot shaped country, ex-
tending into the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by seas on
all three sides. To the south west is the Tyrrhenian Sea, to
the south east is the Ionian Sea and to the north east is the
Adriatic sea. To the south of Sicily is the Mediterranean.
Coasts
Including islands, Italy has a total coastline of 7,600
kilometres, much of which is extremely varied. Along the
two Ligurian rivier as, on either side of Genoa, the coast
alternates between high, rocky zones and level gravel. The
most famous of the rocky areas is called Cinque Terre,
running from Sestri Levante down to La Spezia. The
coast southwards from Tuscany to Campania consists of
long, sandy, crescent beaches mixed with higher, rockier
stretches.
The Tyrrhenian coasts of basilicata and Calabria are
high and rocky, though sometimes broken by short beach-
es, many of them with spectacular white sand, particularly
towards the south.
The coast of Puglia is flat, as is most of the Adriatic
coast of Italy, although it is dominated by terraced hills
behind.
ITALY
Islands
The two largest islands in the Mediterranean, Sicily
and Sardinia, are both a part of Italy. Sicily is the larg-
est island in the Mediterranean, with active volcanoes and
earthquakes. Sardinia is basically mountains rising out of
the ocean. There are many other island groups too.
Dairy Industry in Italy
The production of many Italian cheeses, including Par-
migiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, and mozzarella, de-
pends significantly on immigrant labour. Starting in the
1990s, Indians have come to dominate the labour force
of the Italian dairy industry in this niche. Indeed, 60%
of the workers in the Parmesan industry are Sikh.
Most Indians in Italy tend to settle in the north of the
country and work in agriculture. The Po Valley climate
is similar to the climate Punjab, where most of these
Sikh workers are from. Their first jobs tend to be di-
rectly with the cows and buffalos, as many come from
farming families, but some move on to become cheese-
makers, which is better paying.
nn

contd. from page No. 88

Medical Ethics
Ideally, a medical practice must respect all four of following principles to be considered “ethical”:
(a)Autonomy: Requires that the patient have autonomy of thought, intention, and action when making decisions
regarding health care procedures. Therefore, the decision-making process must be free of coercion or coax-
ing. In order for a patient to make a fully informed decision, she/he must understand all risks and benefits of
the procedure and the likelihood of success.
(b) Justice: Requires that procedures uphold the spirit of existing laws and are fair to all players involved. The
health care provider must consider four main areas when evaluating justice: fair distribution of scarce re-
sources, competing needs, rights and obligations, and potential conflicts with established legislation.
(c) Beneficence: Requires that the procedure be provided with the intent of doing good for the patient involved.
Demands that health care providers develop and maintain skills and knowledge, continually update training,
consider individual circumstances of all patients, and strive for net benefit.
(d) Non-malfeasance: Requires that a procedure does not harm the patient involved or others in society.

(b) Creating awareness about inculcating basic sani- The framing of guidelines along with the above meas-
tation practices in daily life and importance of ures would save medical professionals of the guilt and di-
healthy diet followed by exercise to boost immu- lemma of choosing between medical ethics and SOPs dur-
nity. ing crisis. nn

CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 91

PARLIAMENT Q & A
Parliament Q & A
Policy on Domestic Violence
Question by: Prataprao Govindrao, Patil Chikhali-
kar, S. Ramalingam
Question
(a) whether the Government has formulated/proposes to
formulate any new policy to prevent domestic vio-
lence across the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the action taken by the Government in regard there-
to?
Answer by: Minister of Women and Child Develop-
ment (Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani)
Answer
The Government has taken various legislative and
schematic measures for women to prevent domestic vio-
lence which include:
Legislative Measures
• The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence
Act, 2005 which came into effect in October 2006
aims to provide protection and support to any woman
who is, or has been, in a domestic relationship with the
respondent and who alleges to have been subjected to
any act of domestic violence by the respondent.
• The Act defines domestic relationship as a relationship
between two persons who live or have, at any point of
time, lived together in a shared household, when they
are related by consanguinity, marriage, or through a
relationship in the nature of marriage, adoption or are
family members living together as a joint family and
domestic violence as any act, omission or commis-
sion that causes injury to a woman’s physical or men-
tal health and includes specific forms of violence such
as physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic
abuse.
• The act seeks to provide relief to women in the form
of protection order, residence order, monetary relief,
custody order and compensation orders. Breach of any
protection order is a criminal offence.
Schematic Measures
(i) One Stop Centre: One Stop Centre (OSC) scheme is
being implemented across the country since 1st April
92 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
2015 which is exclusively designed to provide integrat-
ed services such as medical assistance, police facilita-
tion, legal counselling, psycho-social counselling and
temporary shelter to women affected by violence under
one roof. 728 OSCs have been approved by Govern-
ment of India out of which, 680 OSCs are operational
in the country.
(ii) Universalisation of Women Helpline (WHL): This
Ministry also provides 24-hours toll-free telecom ser-
vice through short code 181 to women seeking support
and information through its Universalisation of Wom-
en Helpline scheme. As of now, WHL is functional in
32 States/UTs.
(iii) Swadhar Greh: The Ministry of Women and Child
Development is implementing the Swadhar Greh
Scheme which targets women victims of unfortunate
circumstances who are in need of institutional support
for rehabilitation so that they could lead their life with
dignity. The Scheme envisages providing shelter, food,
clothing, and health as well as economic and social
security for women in difficult circumstances which
include women victims of domestic violence, family
tension or discord, who are made to leave their homes
without any means of subsistence and have no special
protection from exploitation and/ or facing litigation
on account of marital disputes.
Tourism Development
Question by: Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Durga
Prasad Rao Balli
Question
(a) whether the Government has planned to develop the
tourism at animal sanctuaries, religious pilgrimage
places and extreme Himalayas centres; if so, the de-
tails thereof;
(b) if not, the reasons thereof;
(c) whether solo women travellers have to reckon with
concerns about safety; and
(d) if so, the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the
Government to ensure the safety of such travellers?
Answer by: Minister of State for Tourism (Indepen-
dent Charge) (Shri Prahlad Singh Patel)

Answer
• The Ministry under its schemes of Swadesh Darshan
- Integrated Development of thematic circuits and
PRASHAD - National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuve-
nation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive is
developing tourism infrastructure in the country.
• Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme Ministry has iden-
tified 15 thematic circuits for development namely
North-East Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Cir-
cuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit,
Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural
Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Herit-
age Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit & Sufi Circuit. Under
PRASHAD Scheme Ministry has identified 51 sites in
28 states.
• The sites taken up for development under the above
schemes includes National Parks, Wildlife sanctuar-
ies, religious and pilgrimage sites and tourist sites in
Himalayan states.
• In addition, for development of adventure tourism in
the country including the Himalayan region, Ministry
has formulated guidelines for Indian Adventure Tour-
ism in 2018 (Version 2.0) on Safety and Quality Norms
for Adventure Tourism in India.
• The guidelines list the basic minimum standards for
adventure tourism in the country. All the State Gov-
ernments / UT Administrations have been advised to
adopt and implement these Guidelines. The Govern-
ment has also opened more than 120 mountain peaks
for mountaineering and trekking to promote adventure
activities in the Himalayas.
• Safety and security of tourists is a State subject. How-
ever, Ministry of Tourism has taken several measures
to ensure the safety and security of tourists including
solo women travellers which are:
˜˜ 24x7 Toll Free Multi-Lingual Tourist Info-Hel-
pline in 12 Languages to provide support service
in terms of information and guidance to tourists.
˜˜ Some State Governments/Union Territory Ad-
ministrations have deployed Tourist Police, in one
form or the other.
˜˜ Launching of Code of Conduct for adoption by the
Indian Travel and Tourism Industry for Safe and
Honourable Tourism with the objective to encour-
age undertaking of tourism activities with respect
to basic rights like dignity, safety and freedom
from exploitation of both tourists and local resi-
dents, in particular women and children.
˜˜ Ministry of Tourism has issued the Guidelines in
Safety and Security of Tourists for State Govern-
ments/Union Territories to stress on the impor-
tance of safety & security of the tourists.
PARLIAMENT Q & A
Engineering Education in India
Question by: Vinayak Bhaurao Raut
Question
(a) whether engineering is losing its sheen in India and
the students no longer want to pursue engineering;
if so, the reasons therefor;
(b) whether engineering education in India is not get-
ting upgraded as per the new requirements;
(c) whether the Government proposes to take any steps
to overcome the said problem in consultation/col-
laboration with the educationists and experts from
the industry and engineering; and if so, the details
thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
Answer by: Minister of Human Resource Develop-
ment (Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’)
Answer
No, the number of intake of students in engineering
in Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) namely
IITs, IIITs & NITs has increased from 106535 (2018-19) to
115022 (2019-20).
Engineering Education is being upgraded from time
to time keeping in view the requirements of the industry.
Steps taken in this direction are as under:
(i) Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs):
The engineering, particularly the Information Tech-
nology stream, is not losing its sheen in the country.
In fact, based on the demand from the State Govts., the
Government of India has opened 13 IIITs in the last 5
years out of which 12 have been opened in association
with private industry and the concerned State Govern-
ment, i.e. in PPP mode. These IIITs have been opened
to cater to the needs of the Industry and the global
markets. The Industry partner is involved in designing
course curriculum as per Industry demand, imparting
relevant courses or modules, providing internships,
sponsored projects and placements.
(ii) National Institute of Technology (NITs): The Na-
tional Institutes of Technology have been considered
among the premier and the largest technical education
system of the country to provide high quality educa-
tion. A Committee was constituted under the Chair-
manship of Dr. Anil Kakodkar to review the func-
tioning of NITs system, which in its recommendations,
alongwith others, also recommended to set up Industry
Institute interface (i.e. involvement of industry at vari-
ous level viz. collaborative research, internships and
fellowships for post graduate programmes etc). As a
result, in the last few years, some of the top IT compa-
nies in India have started their own academia-industry
interface programs.
(iii)
All India Council for Technical Education (AI-
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 93
PARLIAMENT Q & A
CTE): Whole curriculum of the technical education Girls’ Enrolment Rate
has been revamped by AICTE in the year 2018-19. In
addition to this, in the academic year 2020-2021, the Question by: Pratima Mondal
existing institutes are being allowed to initiate new Question
programmes in Engineering and Technology only in (a) the details of the latest/current school enrolment rate of
emerging areas as per national perspective plan pre- girls at primary level and the States that have made a
pared by the experts. In order to improve the quality of significant progress in this regard during the last three
engineering education and enhance the employability years;
of students of technical institutes, AICTE has made (b) the current school enrolment rate of girls at secondary
the Internship mandatory for all technical education- level along with the States that have been continuously
al programmes. In addition, AICTE is implementing lagging behind in increasing the percentage of girls
schemes of Model Curriculum, Induction Program, enrolment in secondary schools; and
Exam Reform, Perspective Plan, Teachers Training, (c) the school dropout rate among girls and boys at sec-
Start-up Initiative, Teacher and Student Development ondary level in the country, State/UT-wise?
Schemes to bring holistic changes in Technical Educa-
tion and align technical know-how with industry re- Answer by: Minister of Human Resource Develop-
quirements. ment (Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’)
As per QS Rankings 2020 for Engineering & Technol- Answer
ogy, rank of 9 Indian Institutes which are in the list of top
• As per Unified District Information System for Educa-
500 Institutes has increased from previous year i.e. 2019.
tion (UDISE) 2017-18 (Provisional), the Gross Enrol-
Institute 2020 2019 ment Ratio (GER) of Girls at primary level for the year
IIT Bombay 44 53 2017-18 is 95.39%.
• As per UDISE 2017-18 (Provisional), between 2016-17
IIT Delhi 47 61
and 2017-18, the GER at primary level has increased in
IIT Kharagpur 86 113 the following States/ UTs: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal
IIT Madras 88 95 Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli,
IIT Kanpur 96 125 Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,
Jharkhand, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Megha-
IISc, Bangalore 103 142
laya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan and West Bengal.
IIT Roorkee 156 197 • As per Unified District Information System for Edu-
University of Delhi 342 343 cation (UDISE) 2017-18 (Provisional), the Gross En-
rolment Ratio (GER) of Girls at secondary level at all
Also, as per THE Rankings 2020, 6 Indian Institutes
India level has improved over the years. It has gone up
(IISc Bangalore, IIT Ropar, IIT Indore, IIT Bombay, IIT
from 80.10% in 2015-16 to 80.62% in the year 2017-18.
Kharagpur and IIT Delhi) are in the of top 500 Institutes.
nn

94 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020


NEWS
NOTES
Newsmakers
Ranjan Gogoi
• Former Chief Justice of India Ran-
jan Gogoi became a member of Ra-
jya Sabha.
• He was nominated to Rajya Sabha
by the President of India Ram Nath
Kovind.
• Twelve members are nominated to
the Rajya Sabha by the President of India for six-years
term for their contributions towards arts, literature, sci-
ences, and social services. This right has been bestowed
upon the President according to the Fourth Schedule
(Articles 4(1) and 80(2)) of the Constitution of India.
Sunil Chhetri  • Retired Air Vice Marshal Chandan Singh Rathore has
• Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri has been chosen for
FIFA campaign against Covid-19.
• FIFA and the World Health Organization (WHO) have
teamed up to combat the coronavirus by launching a
new awareness campaign led by world-renowned foot-
ballers.
• The ‘Pass the message to kick out coronavirus’ cam-
paign promotes five key steps for people to follow to
protect their health in line with WHO guidance, fo-
cused on handwashing, coughing etiquette, not touch-
ing your face, physical distance and staying home if
feeling unwell.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus  anthology of short stories titled Dinosarinte Kutty (The
• The World Health Organisation’s Director General Dr.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has become the public
face of Global fight against the coronavirus.
• He was elected in May 2017 as the WHO’s first Afri-
can director-general. Prior to this, Dr Tedros served as
Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012–2016
and Health Minister from 2005-2012.
• The World Health Organization (WHO), established on
7th April 1948, is a specialized agency of the United
Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on inter-
national public health. It is headquartered at Geneva in
Switzerland.
NEWS NOTES
On the Hot Seat
Shivraj Singh Chouhan  
• Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as Chief Minister
of Madhya Pradesh. He took oath for the fourth time
as Chief Minister. Former Chief Minister of Madhya
Pradesh Kamal Nath resigned just before the Supreme
Court’s deadline to prove his majority in a trust vote.
Faces Only in Memory
Philip W. Anderson
• Philip W. Anderson, was an American physicist (An-
derson localization, Anderson Hamiltonian, Anderson
orthogonality theorem), Nobel Prize laureate (1977).
Satish Gujral
• Noted Indian  painter, sculptor, muralist and writer of
the post-independent era Satish Gujral has passed away.
• He was awarded the  Padma Vibhushan,  the second-
highest civilian award of the Republic of India, in 1999.
• His elder brother, Inder Kumar Gujral, was the Prime
Minister of India between 1997 and 1998.
Chandan Singh Rathore
passed away.
• He was recipient of Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) and con-
tributed during the Sino-India 1962 war and the 1971
Indo-Pak war.
Nemai Ghosh 
• Noted Indian photographer and Padma Shri awardee
in 2010, Nemai Ghosh has passed away. He is most
known for working with Satyajit Ray.
E. Harikumar
• Malayalam  novelist  and  short story  writer E. Hariku-
mar has passed away.
• He was awarded Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award  for
Dinosaur’s Baby).
Tony Lewis
• Tony Lewis, one of the men behind the Duckworth-
Lewis-Stern method used in weather-affected limited
overs cricket matches, has died.
• Tony, alongside fellow mathematician Frank Duck-
worth, devised the Duckworth-Lewis method which
was introduced in 1997 and adopted officially by the
ICC (International Cricket Council) in 1999.
Pradip Kumar Banerjee
• Former Indian footballer who played as a  striker  for
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 95
CURRENT AFFARIS
the Indian national football team has passed away.
• He captained the national team and later on became the
coach of the national team.
• He was one of the first recipients of  Arjuna Award,
when the awards were instituted in 1961. He was
awarded the prestigious  Padma Shri  in 1990 and was
named Indian Footballer of the 20th century by IFFHS.
In 2004, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, the
highest honour awarded by FIFA.
Abdul Latif
• Former India midfielder Abdul Latif, who was also a
key member of bronze medal winning team at the 1970
Bangkok Asian Games has passed away.
Hansraj Bhardwaj
• Former  Governor of Karnataka  and Kerala Hansraj
Bhardwaj has passed away.
• He holds the record of having the second longest ten-
ure in Law Ministry since independence, after Ashoke
Kumar Sen.
Joseph Lowery
• Veteran US civil rights leader Joseph Lowery who
helped in establishing the Atlanta-based Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, passed away.
• The Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Con-
ference, an African-American civil rights organisation
was set up to promote racial equality.
Beni Prasad Verma
• Former Union Minister Beni Pras-
ad Verma has passed away.
• He served as the telecom minister,
steel minister and was also a Lok
Sabha member from 1996 to 2014.
He also served as the Minister of
State for Parliamentary Affairs dur-
ing his career.
News from States
Centre for Internet of Ethical Things
• To bring together aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI),
Internet of Things (IoT) and Ethics on a single plat-
form, Karnataka Government has decided to set up a
Centre for Internet of Ethical Things in Bengaluru.
• It is a collaboration with the World Economic Forum
(WEF). 
Hubli-Ankola Railway Project
• The Government of Karnataka has approved the Hub-
balli-Ankola railway line project despite opposition by
several members of the State Board of Wildlife.
• The railway line passes through two major protected
96 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
areas — Kali Tiger Reserve and Bedthi Conservation
Reserve which are part of Western Ghats.
• Kali Tiger Reserve comprises two important protected
areas of the region namely Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary
and Anshi National Park.
Gujarat First State to Equip Police with Taser
Guns
• Gujarat has become the first state in India to introduce
Taser Guns to its Police Force.
• Taser Guns (electrical weapon) use compressed ni-
trogen to fire, by sending electricity through attached
wires, which disrupt voluntary control of muscles.
Survey/Study/Report
Poshan Abhiyan: Andhra Pradesh tops in
Overall Implementation
• NITI Aayog has released a report on the performance of
States in the implementation of Poshan Abhiyan.
• Andhra Pradesh ranked 1st in country for the overall
implementation of Poshan Abhiyan.
• Tamil Nadu topped the list of the states in terms of the
number of participants in the programme.
• The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic
Nutrition or POSHAN Abhiyan or National Nutrition
Mission was launched in 2018. It is implemented by the
Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• The scheme aims at achieving improvement in nu-
tritional status of Children (0-6 years) and Pregnant
Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) in a time-
bound manner and ensure attainment of malnutrition
free India by 2022.
A New Era for Girls: Taking Stock of 25 Years
of Progress
• UNICEF along with Plan International and United Na-
tions Women has released a report titled “A New era for
girls: Taking stock on 25 years of progress”.
• The report is issued in the context of the Generation
Equality campaign and to mark the 25th anniversary of
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Art/Culture/Heritage
Namda Traditional Art
• Arifa Jan who revived a Kashmiri traditional art called
‘Namda’ was awarded Nari Shakti Puraskar and was
also among the seven women who took control of the
Prime minister’s Twitter account.
• Namda comes from the root word Namata (Sanskrit for
woollen stuff). It is a local term used for felted wool
floor coverings made out of coarse variety of wool.

• The art consists of floral patterns which provide the
themes for these masterpieces and flowers, leaves, buds
and fruits are the essence of the designs.
• It is practiced as a craft in several cultures especially
the countries throughout Asia such as Iran, Afghanistan
and several places in Ladakh, Kutch and Kashmir and
Rajasthan in India.
Plan/Policy/Scheme
Three Schemes for Electronics Manufactur-
ing in India
• The Union Cabinet has approved three schemes to
boost large-scale electronics manufacturing in India.
• Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC2.0)
Scheme: To create world class infrastructure along
with common facilities and amenities through setting
up of Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) and
Common Facility Centers (CFCs).
• Scheme for Promotion of manufacturing of Elec-
tronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS):
To offer financial incentive of 25% of capital expendi-
ture for the manufacturing of goods that constitute the
supply chain of an electronic product.
• Production Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale
Electronics Manufacturing: To attract large invest-
ments in mobile phone manufacturing and specified
electronic components, including assembly, testing,
marking and packaging (ATMP) units.
National Innovations in Climate Resilient Ag-
riculture (NICRA)
• The Government of India is implementing programmes
such as National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agri-
culture (NICRA) to tackle the impact of climate change
on agriculture.
• It was launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) in 2011.  services on cyber crime investigation on large scale
• To enhance resilience of Indian agriculture to climate
change and climate vulnerability through strategic re-
search and technology demonstration.
• The research on adaptation and mitigation covers crops,
livestock, fisheries and natural resource management.  es on heinous crimes and other issues related to inter-
• It consists of four components namely a) Strategic
Research b) Technology Demonstration c) Capacity
Building and d) Sponsored or Competitive Grants.
Notable Judicial Verdicts
Centre Can’t Brand an Organisation as ‘Poli-
tical’: SC
• The Supreme Court of India has held that the central
government cannot brand an organisation as political
NEWS NOTES
and deprive it of its right to receive foreign funds for
using legitimate forms of dissent to aid a public cause.
• The Court observed that an organisation which sup-
ports the cause of a group of citizens agitating for their
rights without a political goal or objective cannot be
penalised by being declared as an organisation of a po-
litical nature.
• However, foreign funding could be stopped if an organ-
isation took recourse to these forms of protest to score
a political goal.
Rights of an Accused to be Defended
• The Karnataka High Court has observed that it is uneth-
ical and illegal for lawyers to pass resolutions against
representing accused in court.
Constitutional Provisions for the the Rights of an
Accused
• Article 22(1): It gives the fundamental right to every
person not to be denied the right to be defended by a
legal practitioner of his or her choice.
• Article 14: It provides for equality before the law and
equal protection of the laws within the territory of In-
dia.
• Article 39A: It is part of the Directive Principles of
State Policy. It states that equal opportunity to secure
justice must not be denied to any citizen by reason of
economic or other disabilities, and provides for free le-
gal aid.
National Security
NCTC & Cri-MAC
• Union Minister for Home affairs has launched the
Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) and National
Cybercrime Training Centre (NCTC).
• NCTC: The National Cybercrime Training Centre
(NCTC) is meant for professional quality eLearning
to police officers, judges, prosecutors and other stake-
holders. 
• Cri-MAC: Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC)
aims to share information between various police forc-
state coordination.
Miscellaneous
SAREX-2020
• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has conducted the Na-
tional level Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2020)
in Goa to test the efficiency of operations and coordina-
tion of the stakeholders involved in Search and Rescue
in the Indian Ocean Region. 
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 97
CURRENT AFFARIS
Swavalamban Express
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
has announced the start of Swavalamban Express- a
train journey to promote budding business aspirants
and entrepreneurs.
Native Fury
• “Native Fury” is a biennial military exercise between
the US Marines and UAE Emirati forces. The latest
2020 edition was conducted at Abu Dhabi.
India, France conduct Joint Patrols from Re-
union Island
• India and France have conducted joint patrols from the
Reunion Island for the first time.
• Reunion Island is a remote Indian Ocean island located
between Madagascar and Mauritius. It is an overseas
region of France.
UK Apologises for Windrush Scandal
• The UK Government has apologised for the Windrush
Scandal which involved Windrush generation - the im-
migrants who came to the UK between 1948 and 1971
from Caribbean countries - being wrongly detained or
deported.
• The immigrants came at the invitation of the British
government which was facing a labour shortage due
to the destruction caused by World War II in a ship -
named ‘Windrush’.
50 Years of NPT
• The Non-proliferation Treaty is an international treaty
signed in 1968 and came into force in 1970.
• The five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security
Council issued a statement on the successful 50 years
of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which
came into force on March 5, 1970.
• The treaty defines nuclear-weapon states as those that
have built and tested a nuclear explosive device before
1 January 1967; these are the United States, Russia, the
United Kingdom, France, and China.
• The other nuclear armed states—India, Israel and Pa-
kistan have not joined the treaty. Further, North Korea
and South Sudan have also not signed the treaty.
UN CSW Adopts Political Declaration on
Women’s Rights
• The United Nations Commission on the Status of Wom-
en has adopted a political declaration to reaffirm the
1995 Beijing Declaration to achieve gender equality.
• Beijing Declaration: It was a resolution adopted by the
United Nations (UN) at the Fourth World Conference
on Women in 1995.  petrol pumps.
• Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): The
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was estab-
lished in 1946 as a functional commission of the United
98 CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020
Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It
is the principal global intergovernmental body exclu-
sively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality
and the empowerment of women.
Wasp 76b
• It is an exoplanet (planet which orbits a star outside the
solar system) named Wasp-76b where they suspect it
rains iron instead of water.
Hydroxychloroquine now a Schedule H1 Drug
• The government has notified hydroxychloroquine, an
anti-malarial drug, under Schedule-H1 to regulate and
restrict the sale and distribution of the drug.
• The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, under the Drugs
and Cosmetics Act, 1940, provides for classification of
drugs into different schedules.
Torreites sanchezi
• The study of fossil shells of Torreites sanchez, an ex-
tinct mollusk species of rudist clam that lived during
the Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago, Earth
spun 372 times a year 70 million years ago compared to
the current 365.This means the day was 23½ hours long
compared to 24 hours.
• The mollusk used to grow fast laying down daily
growth rings. The rings allowed the scientists to deter-
mine the number of days in a year and more accurately
calculate the length of a day 70 million years ago.
International Day of Forests
• International Day of Forests is celebrated every year on
21 March to raise awareness of the importance of all
types of forests.
• The theme for International Day of Forests 2020 is
“Forests and Biodiversity”.
New Environment Impact Norm
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
has released draft EIA notification.
• It proposes an update to Environment Impact Assess-
ment (EIA) notification of 2006.
• The current EIA specifies a “minimum of 30 days” for
people to respond. The draft EIA notification gives a
“minimum of 20 days” of notice period.
• It also requires that the public-hearing process be
wrapped up in 40 days, as opposed to the existing norm
of 45 days.
IOC: 1st Company to Supply BS-VI Fuel
across India
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited has become 1st com-
pany to begin supply of BS-VI fuel across its 28,000
• The Government of India has set 01st April 2020 as the
deadline to start the supply of BS-VI emission compli-
ant fuels.

• BS (Bharat Satge)-VI grade fuel is the world’s cleanest
fuel containing just 10 parts per million of sulphur.
World of Awards
Abel Prize 2020
• Hillel Furstenberg from Hebrew University of Jerusa-
lem, Israel and Gregory Margulis from Yale University,
the USA won the Abel Prize 2020 for their “pioneering
use of methods from probability & dynamics in group
theory, number theory and combinatorics”.
•  The Abel Prize was established by the Norwegian gov-
ernment in 2002. The Norwegian Academy of Science
and Letters gives the award.
Nari Shakti Puraskars 2020
• Sixteen Nari Shakti Puraskars were presented this year
by President Ram Nath Kovind on International Wom-
en’s Day.
• The Nari Shakti Puraskar is the country’s highest civil-
ian honour for women, and recognizes services towards
the cause of women empowerment.   Olympic
The Achievers and their Field of Work
• Man Kaur: A centenarian sprinter. Dubbed as the
“Miracle Mom from Chandigarh”, 104-year-old  Man
Kaur started running when she was 91 years old.  scheduled to be held from 24 July to 9 August 2020.
• Mohana Singh, Bhawana Kanth, and Avani
Chaturvedi: IAF’s first women fighter pilots
• Padala Bhudevi and Bina Devi: Popular as the ‘Mush-
room Mahila’ for popularising mushroom cultivation.
• Arifa Jaan: An artisan from Kashmir she took up the
task of the revival of the lost art of Numdha handicrafts.
Numdha is a traditional felted Kashmir carpet, made by
rolling and pressing wool by the application of mois-
ture.
• Chami Murmu: Hailed as the Lady Tarzan of
Jharkhand, Chami Devi Murmu has been mobiliz-
ing women to plant Eucalyptus, Sal and Acacia trees,
among others, to replenish the forests in Jharkhand that
had been destroyed by the timber mafia.
• Nilza Wangmo: She runs a restaurant in Alchi, near
Leh town and is taking the Ladakh cuisine to the world.
• Rashmi Urdhwareshe: An automotive research pro-
fessional
• Kalavati Devi: A lady mason, who acted as a driv-
ing force in reducing open defecation in the district of
Kanpur. She went door to door to tell people about the
ills of open defecation and has built over 4,000 toilets
across the city and around it.
• Tashi and Nungshi Malik: Tashi and Nungshi Malik
from Uttrakhand were the first female twins to scale Mt
Everest in 2013. They have climbed Mt Kilimanjaro,
Africa in 2015 and Mt Vinson, Antarctica in 2014, Pun-
NEWS NOTES
cak Jaya in Australia in 2014 and Mt Elbrus in Europe
in 2013.
• Kaushiki Chakroborty: A Khayal and Thumri expo-
nent and is one of the few people to keep Indian classi-
cal music alive.
• Karthyayini Amma and Bhageerathi Amma: Kar-
thyayini Amma scored 98 marks out of 100 in the 4th
standard equivalency course under the Kerala Litera-
cy Mission’s Aksharalaksham scheme.  Bhageerathi
Amma  has created history by becoming the oldest
woman to sit for the same exam.
Zoya Akhtar 
• Indian filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has been honoured with
IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020 for her outstanding
contribution to world tourism through her cinema.
• The 8th India International Film Tourism Conclave
(IIFTC) was held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
World of Sports
Games Tokyo 2020 Resched-
uled
• The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 have been postponed
by one year and will be held from 23 July to 8 August,
2021. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were earlier
• The decision has been taken by the IOC amid the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
Two Indians named in International Panel of
ICC Development Umpires
• Vrinda Rathi and Janani Narayanan have been named in
the International Panel of ICC Development Umpires.
• Tamil Nadu’s Janani Narayanan is a software engineer
while, Vrinda Rathi of Mumbai is a former varsity play-
er who has been umpiring in Indian domestic cricket
from 2018.
Wimbledon Cancelled
• Wimbledon organizers have cancelled the Wimbledon
Championships 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• This cancelation has happened for the first time since
1945 since World War II.
• The French Open Tennis has been postponed due to the
coronavirus pandemic and will take place from 20th
September to 4th October.
Tiger Woods to be inducted into World Golf
Hall of Fame in 2021 Class
• American golfer Tiger Woods will be inducted into the
World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2021.
• The hall of fame, located in St. Augustine, Florida, re-
leased a statement saying Woods, winner of 15 major ti-
tles, will be inducted in the male competitor category. nn
CIVIL SERVICES CHRONICLE, MAY, 2020 99